Scheme

Formerly known as PHE Harlow, this site will be the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)'s future, world-leading campus and headquarters. The creation of this new centre of national and international scientific expertise is critical to ensuring the UKHSA can continue protecting and improving the nation’s health.

The 40-acre campus is large enough to co-locate most of the UKHSA’s services from Porton Down, all of those from Colindale, as well as the headquarters in central London. A site of this size will allow the UKHSA to bring together a critical mass of scientists and knowledge that will strengthen research potential and the ability to improve and protect public health.

Strategy

Meeting Place devised a comprehensive programme of engagement with residents, stakeholders and the media, including community outreach with local schools, societies and civic organisations. Consultation included participation in local community events, where a PHE (now UKHSA) stall would inform and engage attendees about the proposals, while also introducing residents to the work the agency does.

The engagement programme also included reaching out to faith groups. PHE met with representatives from twelve different faith organisations at a meeting of the local interfaith network, which resulted in specific invitations to speak at meetings of local Muslim and Jewish communities. We held a stall at the town’s annual faith festival, ‘Heart 4 Harlow’, which aims to celebrate the local community through religious values.

PHE attended the festival, engaging with local people attending, promoting PHE’s work and sharing information about the plans for the Science Hub.
As a result of the project team taking our message to residents, rather than relying on the public to come to us, the comprehensive consultation reached all areas of the Harlow community, and won praise from politicians and other consultees.

In designing the consultation for the project, we understood the significance to many local stakeholders of the Gibberd Masterplan upon which Harlow is founded, and that an essential element of our engagement with civic consultees would be to demonstrate that the development would be in accordance with the founding principles of the settlement.

Outcome

Outline proposals received unanimous committee approval.

Following an announcement in July 2025 from Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the site has been confirmed as the future home of a new world-leading biosecurity centre, the largest of its kind in Europe. This will bring forward around 1,600 new jobs in construction and life sciences and help safeguard the UK from emerging public health risks.