Harrow is set to undergo big changes in 2025, including new housing developments, more social homes, and its first new SEND school in 20 years. Applications to redevelop a number of council owned sites for housing are set to be determined this year, which could deliver thousands of new homes.
Decisions will also be made on whether the controversial ‘Tesco Towers’ plan will go ahead, with work set to commence on a new special needs school, which will provide an additional 292 places for local children.
Residents and visitors can expect to see a number of large commercial, residential, and school developments either being approved, commencing works, or being completed in the coming year. Below is a breakdown of the main things to look out for.
Residential developments
‘Tesco Towers’
This year looks to be the year where a decision on whether the controversial Greenmead Place development – dubbed ‘Tesco Towers’ – will go ahead. Plans for ten new tower blocks up to 13 storeys high were submitted last year, which would provide 504 homes.
Developers want to demolish the existing Tesco superstore on Station Road in Harrow and replace it with towers ranging from four to 13 storeys, plus a new version of the supermarket.
The plans, dubbed Tesco Towers by critics, have been met with fierce opposition from some locals – including an adjacent retirement home – with a petition set up during the initial consultation stage being signed by nearly 2,500 people.
The Greenmead Place development proposes building ten new towers and building a new Tesco store
(Image: Conran and Partners)
Documents submitted by housing association Notting Hill Genesis suggest the development, which would be completed in two phases, represents ‘an opportunity to […] build homes on a brownfield side’ rather than on surrounding green belt land.
Phase 1 would see the development of 233 homes – including all of the affordable housing in five towers ranging between seven and 13 storeys – and the construction of the new Tesco store.
Phase 2 would involve the building of 271 private sale homes – in five blocks ranging between four and 13 storeys – and the demolition of the existing superstore.
Safari Cinema
The former Safari Cinema will use its original name, The Dominion, when it reopens
(Image: David Roden Architects)
The restoration of a historic art-deco cinema in Harrow is set to move towards completion in 2025 after changes to the original plan were agreed. The redevelopment of the Station Road site to provide dozens of new flats, alongside a four-screen cinema, had hit a snag after the previous builder ‘went broke’ before it was finished.
Initially granted planning permission by Harrow Council in 2022, the scheme was set to deliver 78 flats – nine of which would be affordable – as well as the cinema and a café. However, it was deemed to be ‘no longer feasible’ because of changes to the London Plan’s fire safety requirements.
The plan changes, which were approved at a meeting of the council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday, July 24, means there will be four additional flats but a loss of all affordable housing units – because delivering them was deemed ‘unviable’ – as well as the café.
The locally listed art-deco building at 77 Station Road sits within the Harrow and Wealdstone Opportunity Area. It opened as the Dominion Cinema in 1936 but was renamed the ABC in 1962. At that time, its art-deco exterior was covered with steel sheeting to cut down on maintenance costs. It became Safari Cinema in 1995 until its closure in March 2020 due to the pandemic.
Plans were agreed in 2021 to demolish the auditorium for flats, whilst maintaining the cinema and restoring the building’s original façade – which is already well on its way to completion. In July, council planning officers said the 78 flats were ‘close to complete’ but had remained unfinished due to the issues with the builder.
Council developments
Byron Quarter
149 new homes will be built at the site of a former driving school
(Image: Harrow Council)
In November of last year, Harrow Council and developers Waites submitted plans for Byron Quarter – a development aimed at regenerating council-owned sites in the borough. Plans have been submitted for 149 new homes on a disused site adjacent to the leisure centre.
The proposed low-rise development includes 71 three-bedroom houses, with two and three-storey homes positioned along the site’s boundary to enhance privacy and align with the neighbourhood’s character. A new green space featuring seating areas, play spaces, and walking and cycling links to the Belmont Trail and Byron Park is also part of the plans.
The plans aim to redevelop a site that has been vacant for 20 years, previously used as a driving school, to provide family-sized homes in Harrow. Subject to planning approval, work on the site is scheduled to begin in mid-2025, with the first residents expected to move in by autumn 2026.
Poets Corner
Phase 1 of the Poets Corner development delivered 89 homes
(Image: Harrow Council)
A decision on whether the next phase of the redevelopment of Poets Corner is to go ahead will be made this year, following a consultation period on the proposals finishing at the back end of last year. The development is planned at the site of the former Civic Centre on Station Road and, if approved, is set to provide around 1,100 new homes for the borough.
Harrow Council, in partnership with developers Waites, will bring the application forward with a decision on whether it can go ahead expected to be made sometime in 2025. The proposals include the creation of new green spaces, play areas, and a community square.
The project has also come under some criticism for the number of affordable homes proposed. The number delivered at Poets Corner could be as low as 15 per cent due to financial viability issues, which is far below the council’s own target of 40 per cent.
SEND school
The Ridgeway
The new SEND school will be built at the council owned site at The Ridgeway in South Harrow
(Image: Harrow Council)
In May, the Department for Education approved Harrow Council’s bid for a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school at 265 The Ridgeway – a site now owned by the local authority. Redevelopment works are expected to take place during the year and, when finished, will provide an additional 292 places for local children aged 4 to 19, according to the council.
The demand for SEND school places is growing nationally, with Harrow experiencing the same trend. The council claims the new school will bring ‘significant benefits’ both to families in the borough, and to the council by reducing costs associated with travel and placing children in out-of-borough educational settings.
SEND places are also provided in Harrow’s mainstream schools, but limited places mean some children with additional needs currently have to attend special schools outside the borough. Harrow Council Leader, Cllr Paul Osborn, called the approval of a new purpose built facility ‘truly amazing’.
He said: “We’ve been working towards this moment for many years – it’s truly amazing news for our borough. This decision enables us to deliver something truly life-changing – a great facility that will benefit kids and young people in Harrow for decades to come.”
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