Harrow adopted its 2021-2041 Local Plan in March 2026: 802 homes a year, 8,300 in the Wealdstone corridor, Poets Corner's 1,058 homes and Grange Farm.
Planning in Harrow just changed gear. On 24 March 2026 the council formally adopted the Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041, the rulebook that will decide what gets built in the borough for the next fifteen years, replacing policies that dated back to 2012. This page tracks what the new plan commits Harrow to, the three big schemes already moving, and how to find and comment on any application near you.
The new Local Plan: adopted, at last
The Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041 was adopted by Full Council at an extraordinary meeting on 24 March 2026, after the Planning Inspectorate confirmed the plan is sound, legally compliant and in general conformity with the London Plan. The journey took just over two years: Regulation 18 consultation in early 2024, Regulation 19 at the end of 2024, submission for examination on 26 February 2025, and the Inspector’s report on 16 March 2026. It now forms Harrow’s statutory Development Plan alongside the London Plan and the West London Waste Plan, and the full adopted plan runs to 399 pages.
The numbers that matter in it:
- 802 net new homes a year, the target carried from the London Plan 2021, of which 375 a year are expected from small sites, a striking share that reflects how much of Harrow’s growth arrives as infill.
- A minimum of 16,040 net new homes between 2021 and 2041 across the borough.
- At least 8,300 of them in the Harrow & Wealdstone Opportunity Area, the corridor from the town centre through Wealdstone where the tall buildings and the cranes will concentrate.
The three schemes to watch
Poets Corner is the headline act: the former Harrow Civic Centre site on Station Road, being redeveloped with Wates into 1,058 new homes, a community square, a new park (Poets Garden) and commercial space, a few minutes from Harrow & Wealdstone station and its 13-minute trains to Euston. The scheme received a resolution to grant planning permission in October 2025, subject to completion of the legal agreements (council regeneration prospectus).
Grange Farm in South Harrow is the borough’s estate regeneration: around 500 new homes replacing 282 prefabricated 1960s ones, the large majority affordable (estate page). Phase 1 finished in October 2023 with 89 affordable homes; Phase 2A, another 45 affordable homes, won permission in December 2025, demolition is complete, and the council expects completion in late 2027, with procurement for the final phases (up to roughly 400 further affordable homes) starting from summer 2026.
Byron Quarter, beside Byron Park in Wealdstone, is the next one out of the gate: phase 1 is 149 homes, 34 of them social rent flats and 10 social rent houses alongside 61 private terraced houses and 44 private flats, delivered with Wates Residential; the council has appropriated the land east of the leisure centre car park to enable it. The flats being built across these schemes are also the segment of Harrow’s housing market where prices are currently softest.
How to track and comment on applications
Harrow’s planning register runs on Civica at planningsearch.harrow.gov.uk, which carries every current application, plus the weekly lists of new applications and decisions. The weekly appeals page publishes appeal lists as downloads (the newest covering the week to 2 August 2026) and links both weekly lists into the register.
To comment, the council’s rules are specific: you need a MyHarrow account (searching needs no account), you comment through the “Make a representation” section below the map on the application page, attachments must be PDFs, and comments are only accepted on live, undecided applications and must raise planning matters (design, amenity, traffic) rather than, say, property values. Representations on applications registered after 15 July 2024 are redacted and published.
What it means for you
If you live near Station Road, Wealdstone or the leisure centre, the Opportunity Area is where the borough has planned 8,300 homes’ worth of change, and the three schemes above are its first instalments. If you live on a suburban street, the number that will touch you is the small sites target: 375 homes a year approved plot by plot, which is how most of Harrow’s Metroland actually densifies. Either way, the new Local Plan is now the yardstick every application is measured against, and objections that cite its policies carry far more weight than ones that do not.
Frequently asked questions
Does Harrow have an up-to-date Local Plan?
Yes, as of 24 March 2026: the Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041, adopted after the Planning Inspectorate found it sound. It replaces the 2012 Core Strategy and 2013 development management policies.
How many homes does Harrow have to build?
802 net new homes a year under the London Plan target carried into the new Local Plan, a minimum of 16,040 across 2021-2041, with at least 8,300 of them in the Harrow & Wealdstone Opportunity Area.
What is happening to the old Harrow Civic Centre?
The Station Road site is becoming Poets Corner: 1,058 homes, a community square and a new park, delivered with Wates. Planning committee resolved to grant permission in October 2025, with legal agreements completing before work starts.
What is being built at Grange Farm?
A phased regeneration replacing 282 prefab homes with around 500 new ones, mostly affordable: 89 finished in 2023, 45 more with permission (completion expected late 2027), and up to roughly 400 further affordable homes in the final phases.
How do I find planning applications near me in Harrow?
Search the Civica planning register by address or reference; the weekly applications and decisions lists on the same register show everything newly submitted or decided.
How do I object to a planning application in Harrow?
Create a MyHarrow account, find the application in the register and use “Make a representation” below the map while it is still undecided. Stick to planning grounds: design, overlooking, daylight, parking and traffic, character of the area.
Sources
- Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041 (adoption, timeline) and the adopted plan PDF (housing targets, Opportunity Area minimum).
- London Plan 2021, chapter 4 (the 802-a-year borough target).
- Harrow Council regeneration prospectus (Poets Corner, Grange Farm and Byron Quarter scheme details).
- Grange Farm estate page and council news, 18 March 2026.
- Byron Quarter land appropriation.
- Civica planning register, weekly lists and appeals and commenting rules.
Scheme details and statuses are as published by Harrow Council when checked; schemes evolve between committee and completion, so confirm against the register before relying on them. Last checked 8 August 2026.
Have your say
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