Harlow is home to global and leading-edge businesses such as Raytheon, GSK, Charles River, Kao Data, Arrow and Pearson. At the Harlow Innovation Park new businesses include Renesas, Smartkas, Xylem and Medstrom. The economy is diverse with businesses engaged in service, research, innovation, and production, across diverse sectors such as medical technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics and ICT/Digital.
The largest employer in town has 3,500 staff but 98% of our businesses are small and medium sized. Accommodation for business ranges from large business parks to medium sized mid-tech buildings and centres with flexible office space and virtual tenancies. Harlow can support businesses of all sizes and offers a huge range of accommodation to meet different stages of a business’s growth.
New technology and innovation business sites are developing, attracting new institutions, and the town has achieved investment in major infrastructure upgrades and plans for large scale housing growth through the Harlow & Gilston Garden Town (HGGT) project.
The town has a high performing further education college which invests in employer relationships to meet workforce needs and Anglia Ruskin University’s ARISE Innovation Hub is established at Harlow Innovation Park to support new and innovative start-upbusinesses in the healthcare and med tech business sectors.
Quality of life is high, with access to green space, art, culture and sport with a diversity of housing offer.
Connectivity
Road links
Harlow is well connected by road, now with two motorway junctions serving the town on the M11 with the newly opened Junction 7A, providing easy access to the M25, Stansted Airport, London and Cambridge. Harlow also sits on the A414, providing linkages to Chelmsford and through Hertfordshire to the A10, A1 and M1.
Train links
The town has two railway stations, Harlow Town and Harlow Mill. Regular services including the Stansted Express offer quick routes into Stansted Airport, central London, Cambridge and more.
| Location | Journey time |
| London (Central) | 30 minutes |
| Cambridge | 40 minutes |
| London Stansted Airport | 18 minutes |
| Birmingham | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
| Manchester | 3 hours, 17 minutes |
London Stansted Airport
London Stansted Airport is London’s third-busiest airport, currently serving around 18 million passengers a year. It is the only major London airport with significant runway capacity and offers a European route network which is unrivalled in the UK.
The airport is the UK’s 3rd largest cargo airport and offers services to every major continent via a diverse portfolio of airlines and their extensive networks. London Stansted is the only London airport with the capacity and infrastructure to support increased demand for cargo aviation over the next 10-15 years.
Digital
According to Local Broadband Information, 98% of Harlow accommodation has Superfast and Fibre coverage.
Digital Innovation Zone
Harlow sits within the award-winning Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) which covers the local authority districts of Broxbourne, East Herts, Epping Forest, Harlow and Uttlesford. The DIZ vision is to be the best-connected place of its type in the UK. Building on the region’s innovative legacy, the local authorities, health, education, voluntary, and private sectors work in partnership to future proof the region to ensure it has the infrastructure to support the digital needs of businesses and public services. The DIZ has already attracted significant investment in its fixed broadband fibre infrastructure and has excellent levels of coverage of both superfast and gigabit-capable broadband connectivity.
Life Sciences & Healthcare
In addition to leading companies such as Charles River, Haag Streit and Clement Clarke calling Harlow their home, Harlow is receiving significant investment that expands the Life Sciences and Healthcare Sector in the town.
New Princess Alexandra Hospital
The new Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) is one of the eight pathfinder hospitals in the government’s New Hospital Programme.
The new hospital building images are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change. All photos shared with permission from The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust, Gilling Dod and BDP.
UK Health Security Agency
Harlow has been chosen by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as its new headquarters, creating a world-leading public health science campus. This state-of-the-art centre of national and international scientific expertise will support UKHSA’s role as a global leader in applying cutting-edge science to protect and improve the public health for the next generation. This new facility will host government scientists and associated staff with the site offering capacity to support supply chains and attracting other associated private sector enterprises to ‘cluster’ in the area.
Quality of Life
Housing
A range of housing is on offer for those looking to relocate to Harlow. The town has a diverse range of housing from affordable housing to cutting edge architecture designs and executive housing. Harlow’s original masterplan ensures that residents have access to green space with green wedges that separate and provide amenity between neighbourhoods. Access to green landscapes provides a healthy quality of life and is enhanced through the extensive cycle track network with linkages to the River Stort, nature reserves and various leisure activities.
Newhall is a fairly new residential community with a mix of award-winning contemporary housing. The project incorporates modern housing design with green spaces to promote wellbeing. This new community benefits from a prime location with strong transport links to the newly opened M11 Junction 7A and access to Harlow Mill Railway station and is within walking distance to both Kao Park and the Harlow Innovation Park business areas.
The Harlow and Gilston Garden Town Project will expand the town with up to 23,000 new homes being built in and around Harlow. The HGGT aims to incorporate the world-class features of Harlow’s original design including public sculpture, sustainable neighbourhoods and travel options connecting into the existing town.
Culture, Leisure & Green Space
Harlow’s Culture
Harlow has a rich cultural history and is widely celebrated as a sculpture town. Over 100 public artworks can be freely seen including works by celebrated artists such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Elisabeth Frink. Within Harlow performing arts is showcased at both the Harlow Playhouse and Victoria Hall theatre in which regular productions portray much loved stories, musicals, celebrities and pantomimes onto the stage.
For leisure activities Harlow has much to offer from shopping, museums, family days out and so much more. Harlow town centre has an impressive range of restaurants and shops including Superdry, Pandora, Next, River Island, Primark and more within the Harvey Centre, Broad Walk and Water Gardens. Harlow also features two cinemas, a bowling alley / arcade, escape rooms, laser tag and a specialist climbing and paddle-sport centre. Those with a sporting focus can explore local sports centres, Harlow Leisurezone (former Olympic training facility) or join a number of local sports clubs.
Family fun can also be had at various free local attractions including:
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