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Chelmsford City Council

Chelmsford Garden Community

Our new Local Plan will help shape future growth and development in Chelmsford until 2036.

Chelmsford Garden Community is part of our new Local Plan. The site will create a community of around 10,000 new homes and include new employment opportunities in north-east Chelmsford.

The Garden Community will build on the success of the recent Beaulieu and Channels developments, which were part of our Local Development Framework. 

Beaulieu and Channels have already delivered a neighbourhood centre and linear park. It also has Essex’s first all-through school for 5-18 years and the Beaulieu express bus service into the city centre.

 In addition to new homes, Chelmsford Garden Community will also include:

  • 45,000 sqm of employment floorspace
  • a new country park
  • walking and cycling routes
  • expansion of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
  • part of the Chelmsford North East Bypass
  • a new Radial Distributer Road (RDR2)
  • neighbourhood centres with community spaces
  • a second new secondary school
  • two further new primary schools
  • early years and childcare nursery provision
  • new multi-functional green infrastructure
  • nine travelling showpeople plots

 Chelmsford Garden Community is a joint project between:

  • Countryside Zest
  • Columbia Threadneedle
  • Channels
  • Hanson
  • Ptarmigan Land
You can also download the factsheet.


You can view information about public consultations and register your interest in the project on the Chelmsford Garden Community website.

The UK Government recently gave its support and financial backing to Chelmsford Garden Community. It is one of 19 new villages in the country that received funding through the Garden Communities Programme.

You can view a press release about this.

Chelmsford Garden Community will meet the Garden City Principles, set out by Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). These include:

  • land value capture for the benefit of the community
  • strong vision, leadership and community engagement
  • community ownership of land and long-term stewardship of assets
  • mixed-tenure homes and housing types that are genuinely affordable
  • a wide range of local jobs within easy commuting distance of homes
  • beautifully and imaginatively-designed homes with gardens, combining the best of town and country to create healthy communities, and including opportunities to grow food
  • development that enhances the natural environment, providing a comprehensive green infrastructure network and net biodiversity gains, and that uses zero-carbon and energy-positive technology to ensure climate resilience
  • strong cultural, recreational and shopping facilities in walkable, vibrant and sociable neighbourhoods
  • integrated and accessible transport systems, with walking, cycling and public transport designed to be the most attractive forms of local transport


A delivery board will supervise the progress of the project. This includes the creation of supporting infrastructure to establish Chelmsford Garden Community.

The board will meet three times a year and will provide strategic direction to the various stakeholders.

You can view the terms of reference.

You can also view:

The community liaison group will give local interest groups regular updates on the progress of the project.

The liaison group will co-ordinate engagement in the project so that you can have your say as the project develops over the next 20 years. Membership of the group includes:

  • elected city councillors
  • Essex County Council
  • Developer Consortium
  • local ward members
  • parish council representatives
  • Channels Resident Association
  • Chelmsford Cycling Action Group
  • Essex Bridleway Association
  • The Land Trust
  • churches
  • local schools
  • universities

You can read the September 2020 newsletter.

Our officers will meet regularly with the developers to oversee the progress of the masterplan and related applications they need to submit during the project.

They will report the outcomes of these meetings to the delivery board. You can view these in the delivery board section.

You can view the structure chart.

As part of this overall development, there are some other projects going on that support the development.

They are:

 

 

Contact Planning

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Last updated: 12 November 2021

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