The employment-led scheme will include the construction of 985 new homes, 200 of which will be affordable, as well as 135,000 square feet of retail space and community space including a health centre, a school and a new park. Land Securities said in a statement it expects the scheme to create over 1,500 new jobs.
Under the terms of the section 106 agreement, Land Securities will make £10 million worth of on and off-site infrastructure contributions to the Council. These will include highway improvements and improved public transport facilities as well as local employment and training programmes and education, community and heritage provision, including improvements to Headstone Manor.
The plans for the scheme were approved unanimously by the Council's planning committee in June last year. It subsequently gained approval from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
The development site has been in manufacturing use by Kodak for over 120 years and is currently used for the production of photographic paper. Land Securities said that its proposals have been designed with the flexibility for Kodak to either remain in operation on its core site for an extended period, or to reconfigure its facilities elsewhere on the site if the company chooses to do so.
"We have worked closely with Harrow Council to agree development proposals and a package of measures that aim to benefit the local community and ensure the sustainability of the site," said Land Securities head of development Colette O'Shea. "We look forward to seeing the regeneration of the site and the wider area.”
“It has been a long time in the planning and the next ten years will see a transformation of an area that has been historically very important to Harrow," said the Council's portfolio holder for planning and regeneration, Keith Ferry.
"As a Council we are determined to deliver on our promise to regenerate and build the most sustainable community in Harrow and to establish a thriving residential and commercial centre,” he said.
