Chelmsford - A wide variety
of housing stocking is available including
Victorian terraces, detached family homes from the 1920s and housing
developments from the 1970s to the present day. Within the modern
developments apartments are widespread.
Background
Chelmsford for years
the county town of Essex finally gained “city” status in
2012. It is positioned north-east of London and it is renowned for
its excellent array of shops, leisure facilities and prestigious
schools. With excellent transport links to London and elsewhere and
an inward drive to keep improving physical spaces and services this
city is constantly developing and it is proving to be hugely popular
with families and young professionals.
Transport
Chelmsford railway station is on the Great Eastern Main
Line and westbound trains arrive at London Liverpool Street in around
34 minutes while eastbound trains run to a number of destinations
including Braintree, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester Town and Norwich.
Railway transport infrastructure improvements are planned with the
regeneration of the existing station and the provision of a second
station in the Beaulieu Park Estate which will also provide access to
the Great Eastern Main Line thereby relieving some of the crowding at
Chelmsford Station.
Travelling within Chelmsford by car there are two main
routes with the A414 running east to west and the A130/131 running
roughly north to south. The nearby A12 connects the city to London
and the East Coast and it is only about 15 minutes’ drive to
the M25, connecting the region with numerous Home Counties and
Greater London. Chelmsford also benefits from being within about half
an hour’s journey to Stanstead and Southend Airports and London
Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City and Luton airports are all
within a driving range of around 80 minutes depending upon the level
of traffic.
Bond Street
Amenities
Chelmsford is quite built up but throughout the city
there is lots of green space and there are over twenty parks
including Hylands, Admirals and Central Parks and some lovely walks
to enjoy along the Can and Chelmer rivers. Chelmsford is a lively
city with many attractions and it features the Riverside Ice and
Leisure Centre, the Civic and Cramphorn theatres, numerous gyms and a
host of bars and restaurants and it is home to the Essex County
Cricket Ground. The city also offers excellent shopping facilities
with large indoor retail spaces such as The Meadows Shopping Centre
and the open air Bond Street which is one of the most popular
shopping destinations in Essex with its range of designer shops and
top brand names whereas more independent, quirky stores can be found
in Moulsham Street and Baddow Road.
Chelmsford has long been credited with high performing
schools and the King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys and Chelmsford
County High School for Girls feature in the top 50 grammar schools
nationally and there are also a number of reputable state schools
including Beehive Lane Community Primary School, Chancellor Park
Primary School and Perryfields Junior School rated by Ofsted as
“outstanding” and notable secondary schools such as
Moulsham High School, The Sandon School and The Boswells School all
rated as good. In terms of higher education Anglia Ruskin University
has a campus in the heart of the city, Chelmsford Campus which is
made up of modern buildings that house state of the art facilities
including the first School of Medicine in Essex.
Writtle
One mile west of Chelmsford is the picturesque village
of Writtle. It comes complete with a Norman church, pubs, restaurants
and even a duck pond. Writtle's facilities include a GP surgery,
dentist and a pharmacy. Sports available in the village include
tennis, cricket, rugby and badminton. It has an Infant and Junior
school and there is also Hylands School which caters for secondary
and sixth form students. Writtle College is one of the oldest
agricultural-based university colleges in Britain and is a partner to
the University of Essex. This specialist college offers a range of
courses and qualifications, the majority of which focus on
agriculture and land-based industries, as the campus has its own
farm. Whilst Writtle has a wide spectrum of housing there are limited
opportunities to rent but when they do become available they are
reasonably priced and you can expect to pay from £800 for an
apartment and up to £1,400 for a family home.
Great Baddow
The urban village of Great Baddow sits to the south east
of Chelmsford and has a population of about 15,000. The centre of
Great Baddow contains more than 30 listed buildings and has been made
a conservation area. The 360 ft tall Great Baddow Radio Tower is the
main landmark in the village and was part of Britain’s early
warning defence system during the Second World War. It is the only
complete tower left in the UK and was later used by the Marconi
Company to continue the development of radar.
As a large village, Great Baddow has most of the
amenities that would normally be found in a town. It boasts several
pubs, The Vineyards shopping centre, all essential medical facilities
and several sports clubs. Great Baddow contains four primary schools
and two secondary schools. Although The Sandon School is not
technically in Great Baddow, it is still attended by many of its
residents. The rents are quite affordable here costing from £750
for a 1 bedroom apartment, whilst family homes can be rented for
between £1,000 and £1,500.
Springfield
The civil parish of Springfield lies to the north
west of Chelmsford and has been expanding continuously since the
1950s when the site of the Essex showground was developed into a
housing estate. Springfield is still growing and its latest
development at Great Beaulieu Park will be the largest, with 3,600
new homes being built as well as a new train station, a hotel and a
business park. This development will also contain two new primary
schools and a secondary school along with health, retail and sports
amenities. Eight primary schools serve Springfield while there are
two secondary schools – one of which is the independent New
Hall School. There is plenty of choice to rent her with
apartments for around £800pcm and family homes for between
£1,200 and £1,500.
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Artist's impression of the new
station set to be built at the Beaulieu Park estate, Springfield, as
part of the Chelmsford regeneration project
