Harrow Council is one step closer to having a new civic centre after the proposed building was given the green light by the Greater London Authority.
The project, which will see the council’s flagship building moved to the heart of Wealdstone , is part of the borough’s £1.75 billion regeneration campaign.
It will replace the current centre, in Station Road, and the council believes it can benefit the wider community as part of Wealdstone’s redesign.
But not everyone is on board with the move. Opposition councillors were critical of the building’s design when it was brought before the planning committee in March.
“This is supposed to be a regeneration exercise, not a degeneration exercise,” said Cllr Stephen Greek.
“A green, ceramic arrangement – it sticks out like a sore thumb. How will this inspire civic pride in our centre?
“It’s one of the first things you see as you come into Harrow and it is not up to the standard we expect. It’s not good enough and it’s a real disappointment.
“We are not doing right by our residents, we are not doing right by our staff and we are not doing right by anyone who takes pride in this borough.”
The council, and architects Gort Scott, pointed out that there had been several positive consultations with residents and businesses near the site.
Cllr Sachin Shah , the former leader of Harrow Council, explained that this was “what local people asked for” and said it would bring growth and employment to the area.
Cllr Christine Robson also supported the move, describing it as a “positive change” from the old building – something she saw as an “odd statement of civic pride”.
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And despite the opposition from some quarters in the council, its head of regeneration and design, Tobias Goevert, said he was looking forward to watching this “centrepiece” come to fruition.
He said: “It’s challenging to make such a scheme work so efficiently on a tight site, with a tighter budget, and keep quality high. We are excited to see our new centre evolve.”
