Harlow Town was established in 1947 to relieve overcrowding in north-east London. It occupies a rectangular site of 2,500 ha.(6,177 a.) extending west and south from Old Harlow. The land rises from the valley of the Stort to over 100 m.at Rye Hill in the south, and is intersected by the Todd brook, flowing westwards.Before 1947 it was an area of villages and hamlets, the largest being at Old Harlow.The master plan, for a town of 60,000, was drawn up for the development corporation by (Sir) Frederick Gibberd, and was approved by the government in 1949.The population limit was raised to 80,000 in 1952, and to 90,000 in 1966,but there was no increase in the designated area, and the additional numbers were accommodated by building to a greater density in the later stages. With that exception the town was developed as originally planned. There are four main areas or 'clusters',situated on high ground and separated by open land in the valleys. Within each cluster are from two to four residential neighbourhoods', and there are two more neighbourhoods in the south-west.The northwest cluster includes the town centre, the High, while each of the three other clusters has a 'neighbourhood centre' containing 30 or 40 shops, a church, a public house, a library, and a small industrial area. A neighbourhood is composed of smaller housing areas which are served by a sub-centre or 'hatch', a primary school,a hall, and a public house. The 'green wedges' of open land between the clusters carry the main roads into the town centre, and accommodate secondary schools, playing fields, the town park in the north, and a golf course in the north-west.Harlow village, renamed Old Harlow, and Potter Street to the south, have been enlarged into neighbourhoods, while existing cottages at Latton, Parndon, Netteswell,Tye Green, into and Commonside Road have been incorporated into the new neighbourhoods. in the northeast, and in the west, which are linked by a main road running parallel to the railway along the Stort valley. </body> </html> <!-- www.000webhost.com Analytics Code --> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://stats.hosting24.com/count.php"></script> <noscript><a href="http://www.hosting24.com/"><img src="http://stats.hosting24.com/count.php" alt="web hosting" /></a></noscript> <!-- End Of Analytics Code -->