Cllr Ken Williamson has been elected Chair of the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town Joint Committee for the 2026/27 municipal year, confirmed at the Committee’s public meeting at Harlow Civic Centre last Monday, July 20.
The Epping Forest District Council Portfolio Holder for Shaping our District succeeds Cllr Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, who has chaired the Joint Committee since its first meeting in June 2024.
East Herts Council’s Cllr Vicky Glover-Ward will continue as Vice-Chair.
The Joint Committee provides unified political leadership and public oversight of the Garden Town programme on behalf of its five partner councils, East Herts District Council, Epping Forest District Council, Essex County Council, Harlow Council and Hertfordshire County Council.
With its leadership for the year ahead now confirmed, the Partnership’s focus remains firmly on delivery.
At the same meeting, members approved publication of the Garden Town’s Annual Review for 2025/26, which records twelve months in which the programme moved visibly from consents to construction, including:
- completion of the first phase of the Garden Town’s strategic transport infrastructure between Harlow Town Station and the Town Centre, delivered as part of Homes England’s £182 million investment, with upgraded walking and cycling routes, new bus lanes and a redesigned Burnt Mill roundabout;
- work beginning on the Central Stort Crossing, the first strategic infrastructure connecting the future Gilston villages to Harlow;
- a Court of Appeal ruling that formally ended the legal challenge to the Gilston Area’s outline planning permissions, clearing the way for 10,000 new homes across seven villages;
- approval of the Village 7 masterplan and the 600-hectare Strategic Landscape Masterplan for Gilston, securing 410 hectares of green space, five major new parks and nearly 50km of walking and cycling routes;
- confirmation of the Government-backed UK Health Security Agency national biosecurity centre at the Pinnacles, expected to create 2,750 highly skilled jobs and £80 million a year for the local economy;
- major Harlow Town Centre regeneration milestones, with Broad Walk complete, construction underway on the Arts and Cultural Quarter and Market Square, and Marks & Spencer confirmed to return to Harlow in 2027.
Cllr Ken Williamson said: “I want to start by thanking Cllr Dan Swords for his leadership of this Committee since its first meeting and our recently published Annual Review highlights what the HGGT partnership has achieved under his stewardship.
“The first phase of our sustainable transport network is now complete, 10,000 Garden Town homes were approved at Gilston, and investment and jobs are returning to Harlow Town Centre.
“The Committee’s focus for the year ahead remains unchanged and I look forward to working with the other members.
“Our role is to provide oversight and maintain momentum as we work with our partners to deliver well-designed, well-connected Garden Town communities, supported by the transport links, schools and green spaces that help places thrive from day one.
“Cross Border developments are always complex, but the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town partnership draws its strength from five councils working towards a shared vision.
“As Chair, I will continue to champion that collaborative approach, working with partners to overcome challenges and keep the project moving forward in these uncertain economic times.”
The Joint Committee’s next meeting takes place on September 15 2026.
