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June 2021
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Welcome
Welcome to the Chelmer Waterside Update. This update has been prepared to keep you up to date with progress on the Chelmer Waterside project. Chelmer Waterside is major regeneration project within the city centre of Chelmsford. It will bring forward a brand new neighbourhood, delivering over 1,000 new homes in a high quality sustainable location, making the best use of the city’s waterways. It is a highly complex project with many inter-related parts to it. |
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Waterside Access Road and Bridge
 The planning application for the new access road and bridge was considered by the Planning Committee on 22 June (21/00024/FUL). Planning permission has now been granted, subject to conditions. The scheme will now move to the next stage, known as detailed design and tender. This will develop the design into sufficient detail to enable it to be tendered for construction. The current programme is for this stage of the project to take place between June 2021 and September 2022. Following the tender process, a contractor will be selected to deliver the project, starting in late 2022 and completing in Autumn 2023.
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Gas Pressure Reduction System (GPRS) relocation
To enable the maximum number of houses to be delivered on the former gas works site (where the gas towers were) it is necessary to relocate the Gas Pressure Reduction System (GPRS) and the high pressure gas mains that are located there. A Feasibility Study completed in July 2020 confirmed that this was technically possible and the Council has now contracted with Cadent to prepare a detailed design to enable this element of the project to be implemented. The detailed design will be completed in early 2022 with construction scheduled to take place from April 2022 to Summer 2023. The planning application for the new GPRS to the south of the Hill Road South allotments is due to be submitted later in 2021. Site surveys are scheduled to take place in July.
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Land remediation
Given the former use of the land, some land remediation is required, particularly on the site of the former gas works. A land remediation strategy has been prepared and agreed by the Environment Agency. The current programme is for the land remediation of the gas works site to begin in late 2021.
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Development Framework
Earlier this year the Council consulted on the Chelmer Waterside Development Framework. This document will be used to set out the Council’s aspirations for Waterside to shape the development of the new neighbourhood once the infrastructure has been put in place. It is not a master plan, but will be used to help the Council select a single development partner for its sites in Waterside. The Development Framework will be considered by the Chelmsford Policy Board in the late summer and considered by the City Council's Cabinet later this year.
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Proposed New Lock
 The City Council has adopted a longer-term objective to deliver a new lock alongside the Essex Record Office to enable upstream navigation into the city entre. A feasibility study has been completed and involving the Essex Waterways Association, the new bridge has been designed to allow for this to take place in the future. Further survey work of the automatic weir structure is being undertaken this year to ascertain its condition.
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Housing Delivery
To date 125 homes have been completed on the Aspyre development by Taylor Wimpey.
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Contacts
For further information please contact economy@chelmsford.gov.uk
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