22 week reconstruction of a section of Harlesden High Street to start from September 15th 2025

 

It has been hard to ignore the troughs of collapsed cobbled road on Harlesden High Street but now action is being taken.  Brent Council says it will take 22 weeks but perhaps that will enable Council  PR to greet a slightly earlier finish as a great success:

The Council is planning to deliver much needed carriageway reconstruction works in High Street Harlesden, between Tavistock Road and the Harlesden Jubilee clock end of the road (the buses only section of the High Street) from 15 September 2025. The works are expected to last 22 weeks under a road closure, where buses will operate under a diversion route. Pedestrian access will be maintained as normal.

 

Deliveries to local shops and businesses will be catered for from delivery areas outside the closure at the Tavistock Road end of the High Street. Brent will also have a site-based team to help with deliveries during the hours of 08:00 and 16:30.

 

The map above shows the full area affected. If you have any issue, the Public Liaison Officer for this scheme is Michael Heffernan who can be contacted via email Michael.heffernan@gwhighways.co.uk or phone 01202 043259

 As yet I can find no details of the bus diversion route. 

Harlesden's character 'vulnerable to sweeping changes' from nearby major developments in the pipeline

 From the Historic England website LINK

 

A key stretch of buildings is set to be restored at an important gateway to the area. This will help to make the town centre more attractive and welcoming, and help Harlesden retain its character and sense of place in the face of major new developments nearby.

 

Harlesden is a bustling, vibrant and multi-cultural hub within Brent, London Borough of Culture 2020. But its High Street has declined over a number of decades. Some of the High Street's Victorian and Edwardian buildings have seen better days. 

 

Harlesden is vulnerable to sweeping changes with nearby major developments in the pipeline which could undermine the social and economic character of the town centre. 

 

The High Street Heritage Action Zone outlined on a street plan of Harlesden © Crown Copyright and database right 2020. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900

 

How the Harlesden High Street Heritage Action Zone will help

 

The High Street Heritage Action Zone aims to create an attractive gateway to Harlesden town centre and support the local economy, traders and entrepreneurs, as well as offering local people high quality community spaces to come together and maintain their sense of local identity. There is an opportunity to make improvements to some of the wonderful historic buildings here so that residents, business owners and visitors benefit. 

 

An exciting project is planned, led by the Refugee Support Network, to transform a disused former bank into a focus for support for young people, workspace for small businesses, and a meeting place for community groups. The bank is at a focal point in the centre of the High Street and will bring alive this prominent building. 

 

Elsewhere, shop fronts will be repaired and restored, with opportunities for apprentices, and for shopkeepers to learn basic maintenance skills for their buildings to help maintain the sense of pride in the local area.

 

Planners recommend approval for relocation of Harlesden's Jubilee Clock

Brent planning officers in a report to the April 17th Planning Committee have recommended approval for the proposed relocation of the landmark Jubilee Clock as part of the new road layout. The new site will be outside numbers 53-55 Harlesden High Street and about 5 metres from its current site.

THE JUBILEE CLOCK THROUGH THE AGES

The report LINK states:

Although the clock is statutorily listed feature it is not in its original location which by definition makes the specific location less important as a criteria for listing. At the time of the clocks origin (1887) there was far less traffic than there would be a few decades later. At least two trams derailed and collided with the clock in the first half of the twentieth century, one of them tearing off one of its four decorative arms. In 1938 the Clock Tower was relocated to a location 3m from its original position. It was hoped that in relocating the Clock Tower, motorist would find it easier to navigate the area. As explained above, the relocation of the Clock is required to bring about a better traffic management scheme here also.

The proposals do not call for any alteration or changes to the clock itself which therefore means it will retain the architectural quality and character that instigated its listing. The Clock is to be moved (5m) from its present location which by definition would mean that the setting of the Clock would not change significantly.

The clock will not be quite as prominent in the streetscape given that it is currently located in a traffic island in the centre of a road junction as before but will however still be visible along the High Street. The new location will make the clock less susceptible to damage from passing vehicles, thereby protecting the listed feature.

 

The Planning Service is not committed to this new location ahead of any others and whilst there may a range of locations that might be acceptable, particularly given that the current location is not original as mentioned above, no objection is raised in principle to the new location in listed building terms. 

AND IT WILL TELL THE TIME!

As part of the proposals the clock will be repaired and will tell the time, which is a welcomed addition to its listed status.