The 'rundown' UK town full of abandoned shops constantly named 'worst place to live'

A enactment of boarded shops successful Harlow with a smashed interior (right) (Image: Jon Austin)

A municipality that often features successful lists of the worst places to unrecorded successful the UK is being "dragged down" further by an eyesore of 24 trashed and bare shops adjacent to each other, shoppers say.

The fig of bare units without a interruption would beryllium 30 if it weren't for a lonely opticians that has hung connected successful determination portion each the others person near and concisely breaks up the boarded-up units successful Harlow municipality centre successful Essex.

There are different 8 bare shops successful the adjacent vicinity.

The subdivision of Specsavers successful question had to beryllium concisely evacuated earlier this twelvemonth aft persons chartless acceptable occurrence to rubbish that had accumulated adjacent the backmost of the building.

It was conscionable 1 of a bid of fires lit by vandals who person breached into the bare shops and flats supra them, portion they person sat bare and deteriorated implicit the past fewer years.

Vandals person been systematically getting wrong the bare building, smashing worldly up and adjacent committing arson, but contempt pledges to unafraid the buildings determination was a wide mode successful done a spread successful a woody boarding erstwhile Express.co.uk visited earlier this week.

Wooden boarding was damaged with a mode wrong erstwhile Express.co.uk visited (Image: Jon Austin)

Through the spread and wrong the erstwhile store had been wholly trashed (Image: Jon Austin)

Harlow was 1 of a fig of caller towns built successful the archetypal question of improvement successful the precocious 1940s and 1950s, similar Basildon, to make caller homes for radical bombed retired of London successful the Second World War.

Harlow caller municipality was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, a visionary connected an aesthetic, arsenic good arsenic applicable level.

As a result, visitors are met with the astonishing and rewarding show of nationalist art, particularly the stunning sculptures dotted astir the town. You tin respect works by Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Elizabeth Frink, and Barbara Hepworth.

Due to this it is recognised arsenic the UK’s lone sculpture municipality with implicit 100 nationalist sculptures connected display.

The wider municipality is besides built astir galore greenish spaces, but, though the plan was seen arsenic ground-breaking designs astatine the time, the grey factual municipality landscapes rapidly aged and appeared drab and slipped into depravation.

Some dice hard residents stay fond of the town, contempt the "crap town" criticism, but adjacent they are fed up with the authorities of the vacant cardinal store buildings that person been near by the landowner.

The erstwhile Citizens' Advice Bureau stands bare (Image: Jon Austin)

The erstwhile Citizen's Advice Centre has been ransacked (Image: Jon Austin)

Terry Roberts, 58, a calved and bred resident, said: "Harlow volition ne'er been a representation postcard town, but you larn to emotion it, but the authorities of these shops are dragging it down.

"All you perceive from the assembly is 'we are doing this multi-million lb redevelopment' - and to beryllium just they did the Water Gardens and different bits and pieces, but that was years agone now. There's enactment going connected successful the municipality square, I don't cognize what they are doing, but (gesturing towards the bare shops) look astatine the authorities of this spot and it's been similar it 2 oregon much years."

The Water Gardens large redevelopment was really completed 20 years agone successful 2004 erstwhile a caller assembly offices was developed on broadside restaurants and caller shops.

And, assorted administrations person promised large redevelopment of the remainder of the municipality centre ever since

Redevelopment enactment has been ongoing successful the municipality quadrate for respective weeks and determination is besides thing happening adjacent the Wetherspoon pub, The William Aylmer.

But, arsenic for the shops, which enactment 3 sides of a ample improvement successful the mediate of the municipality centre, determination lone appears to person been further degeneration.

A large lodging improvement is planned connected the site, but the owner's selling suite is deserted (Image: Jon Austin)

A CGI representation of however the caller improvement would look erstwhile built (Image: Strawberry Star)

Developer Strawberry Star is down proposals to alteration the tract into a improvement of 163 apartments with cafes and shops called Harlow Quarter.

The task remains listed connected its website arsenic an "exciting new" large improvement that volition make "modern apartments successful the bosom of Harlow’s municipality centre".

People tin adjacent inactive registry involvement successful units astatine the improvement and a YouTube video showing the imaginable vibrant manner prospective buyers could bask determination archetypal posted 4 years agone remains online.

Strawberry Star bought the tract successful 2018 and successful 2022 readying support was granted taxable to agreeing conception 106 infrastructure betterment payments.

In November 2022, the steadfast hailed the commencement of the task with a large demolition of different area, but past it went quiet.

In June 2023 they issued a connection to Your Harlow explaining wherefore nary enactment had begun.

The connection said: "We would similar to guarantee you that we are committed to commencing the task arsenic soon arsenic practically possible.

“However, it is important to admit that the operation manufacture is presently facing important challenges, resulting successful delays crossed the country. We are moving to mitigate these challenges and admit the patience and knowing of the section assemblage during this time."

The steadfast has until 2027 to commence the development.

Express.co.uk contacted Strawberry Star to inquire wherefore 1 of its bare units could presently beryllium accessed by anyone and for an update connected the redevelopment, but got nary response.

Joan Curtis, 72, said: "I person ever liked the town. The radical are great, but it is changing. They are trying to crook it into thing it isn't, but they person got to bash thing astir those bare shops.

Twenty 4 shops successful a enactment connected 3 sides of the tract are boarded and bare (Image: Jon Austin)

Residents and shoppers assertion the tract is dragging down the town's already beleaguered representation (Image: Jon Austin)

There is nary motion of immoderate improvement and the proprietor id not respond to our petition for remark (Image: Jon Austin)

"It's an implicit eyesore. There has ever been the occasional bare 1 but thing similar that arsenic agelong arsenic I tin remember."

While the older procreation person fond memories of the municipality successful its heyday, younger radical assertion determination is small to do, particularly astatine night. Harlow erstwhile boasted respective bars and clubs, including Yates, Chicago Rock Cafe, an eighties-themed venue and the imposing Seen nightclub.

Seen unopen its doors successful September 2016, for a refurbishment, but inactive stands bare 8 years on. Another precocious nighttime bar, that utilized to enactment unfastened until 4am, connected Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, unopen for the past clip successful 2019.

Now determination are conscionable 2 pubs successful the municipality centre, the Wetherspoon and the erstwhile Yates, called the Clockhouse, which person some called past orders by 1am astatine weekends.

Mo, 20, who has lived successful the municipality for 4 years, said: "Harlow is dormant bro. You can't person a nighttime retired here. We person to spell (Bishops) Stortford oregon Chelmsford antheral oregon adjacent London, but that is costly and you can't adjacent get back, truthful you person to hold until the adjacent morning. They request to bash thing with this place."

Seen nightclub has been vacant for 8 years (Image: Jon Austin)

Despite the setbacks, Harlow Council remains convinced it tin bring the rundown municipality into the twenty-first century.

A spokesperson said: "The changes earmarked done these schemes, arsenic good arsenic the instauration of residential accommodation passim the municipality centre volition let the night-time system to grow, moving from a 9 till 5 destination, to a 24/7 retail, leisure and amusement hub."

He said the authority's ain plans to amended the municipality centre were good underway contempt backstage developer setbacks.

These see 4 large projects that are each afloat authorities funded:

1. A caller autobus presumption funded by £23.7m of authorities currency which volition spot the existing autobus presumption replaced with a caller agleam and welcoming transport hub.

2. At the extremity of September operation works connected the multi-million-pound translation of the Broad Walk country volition statesman to make caller paving, LED lighting and CCTV with greenish landscaped spaces.

3. The Harlow Arts and Cultural Quarter volition signifier a caller occidental gateway arsenic portion of the regeneration of Harlow municipality centre successful the Playhouse Theatre and College Square with show and accumulation spaces, a caller café and booking office, euphony schoolhouse and signaling studios and a caller determination for the Gibberd Art Gallery.

4. The drab Market Square is to beryllium reborn arsenic a caller hub for leisure and hospitality with bars, restaurants and much-needed nightlife and a caller marketplace with pop-up stalls by day.

Harlow Council has got enactment underway successful parts of the municipality (Image: Jon Austin)

The spokesperson said: “We’re determined to enactment the bosom backmost into Harlow by delivering a vibrant, harmless and welcoming municipality centre that volition reconstruct pridefulness successful our town, attracting concern and opportunities for all.

"We privation our municipality to beryllium a spot wherever radical of each ages bask spending their time, led by a caller arts and taste 4th with events and activities for everyone.

"We privation to support the Harlow lb here, truthful residents take to walk their clip and wealth successful Harlow, supporting and is promising a 24/7 system successful the aboriginal encouraging section businesses to flourish and succeed.

"It’s not conscionable a renewed municipality centre that’s important for our future. Our beauteous parks and greenish spaces are rightly treasured, but we cognize radical privation to consciousness harmless successful – and arrogant of - their homes, neighbourhoods and communities.

“So overmuch is coming to Harlow – large lodging schemes are underway and planned, resulting successful implicit 20,000 caller homes, municipality centre regeneration is astir to instrumentality off, and the continued improvement of the Harlow Enterprise Zone and the Harlow Innovation Park bringing caller businesses and jobs."

The assembly is committed to redeveloping the municipality contempt developer setbacks (Image: Jon Austin)

Turning to the problems with the deteriorating bare shops, the spokesperson added: "We are moving with backstage gathering owners to marque definite their buildings are harmless and secure.

"With regards to the circumstantial tract owned by Strawberry Star, the assembly takes incidents of spot damage, anti-social oregon unlawful behaviour and menace to nationalist information precise earnestly and is disappointed astatine the sporadic attack taken by Strawberry Star to negociate the tract to date.

"A multi-agency attack (including Essex Fire Service, the council's gathering power and Essex Police, on with elder officers of the council, has been taken requesting enactment to code the issues.

"The assembly is committed to utilizing each disposable means to compel Strawberry Star to unafraid the tract and is successful nonstop dialog with the neighbouring businesses."