We have appointed artists to develop artwork to transform the air space above Cornhill leading to Market Square, in Chelmsford city centre. You can find out how to contribute your ideas.
Public art at Meadows Retail car park
We have comissioned a local artist to develop artwork fo the stair tower at the Meadows Retail car park.
The work should be easily seen from Springfield Road and Bond Street, helping wayfinding towards Springfield Basin.
The artist is working on a design for public art treatment of the site, so we can technically scope and fundraise for the final work.
The artist will be looking at site context, and having discussions with us and other stakeholders.
Public engagement is integral to the proposal’s development, where the artist will be working with a range of public and community groups to inform the final design.
The artwork should provide a sense of connectivity and orientation, celebrate the site location, and contribute to civic ownership of the public realm. The artwork will be owned and maintained by us.
The type of artwork we are particularly interested in for this commission is lightworks from the windows within the elevations. It could be a single work or made up of a number of elements for the elevations.
The work must be:
safe
practically achievable without compromising the building structure
maintainable on a reasonable basis and within the final budget
Timeline
Engagement plus design concepts developed: July to August 2026
Meadows Retail car park is a yellow stock, brick-built building accommodating a five-storey car park. It is owned by us and was built in the 1990s.
The west tower of the building is very prominent to the public realm. It is highly visible to pedestrians within the surrounding area, including those approaching from the pedestrianised city core at Springfield Road and from the popular Bond Street retail location.
It also forms a viewpoint for visitors approaching from the south on High Bridge Road. The tower has a number of small windows serving an internal stairway.
The building has the potential to be a marker from the city core for Springfield Basin and the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, a Conservation Area to the east.
At present, the building comes across as somewhat lost in its positioning in the city centre. The building sits next to the Wharf Road Basin Feeder Channel, which is of 18th-century origin and diverts water from the River Chelmer to Springfield Basin. It is of local historical significance, as an essential feature of the navigation.
The building also sits outside of, but right next to, the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation Conservation Area.
