Hundreds of new homes and a new civic centre are planned as part of a £690 million major regeneration programme.

Harrow Council has confirmed it will team up with developer Wates Residential to carry out a 10-year project that seeks to deliver 1,500 new homes across three sites in the borough. 

The major regeneration strategy has been a work in progress for several years for the authority, with plans to move out of its current civic building in Station Road to a site in Peel Road, Wealdstone. 

The plans have been criticised by the borough’s Conservative Group, which previously said it could be “the biggest mistake in a generation”.

But Labour council leader Cllr Graham Henson has insisted in can only benefit the region. 

He said: “This decision opens up Harrow to a new and exciting future. Our work with Wates will benefit countless local people and improve the lives of generations to come. As we begin to emerge from the devastating pandemic, I want this to signal the start of our renewal.

“Harrow is crying out for high-quality affordable housing. Too many people are trapped in unsuitable, overcrowded accommodation. They deserve places to live that will support their success and allow their families to flourish.”

Changes to working habits brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic means the new civic centre is likely to be smaller and cheaper than first anticipated – in May, a report presented to the council’s overview and scrutiny committee showed the move should cost around £20 million less and have 50,000sq ft less floor space. 

The administration insists the regeneration scheme will be cost-neutral, though Harrow Conservatives argued splitting council services between the new civic centre and the depot in Forward Drive will cost the taxpayer. 

Under the new proposals, the civic centre would be the main civic building, while there will be greater emphasis placed in Forward Drive than initially planned as it becomes “the principal focus for staff”.

There are also plans to use the updated depot until the new civic centre is completed as the current civic centre, in Poets Corner,  is deemed unfit for purpose, particularly since the pandemic.