Chelmsford North East Bypass and Beaulieu Station A transformational road and rail upgrade
1 Scheme Background
Detailed plans for a new railway station This includes the new Chelmsford Garden In 2019, Essex County Council, with its and bypass to support growth to the north Community in North East Chelmsford and partners, successfully bid for the Chelmsford of Chelmsford have been explored for over sites at Broomfield and Great Leighs. North East Bypass and Beaulieu Railway a decade. In 2007, Essex County Council Station as a joint project for the Government’s and its partners laid out a long-term plan The bypass and new railway unlocks 9,000 Housing Infrastructure Fund. The fund for Chelmsford North East Bypass and new homes in this corridor in the period up to designed to support those developments ‘safeguarded’ the land needed. 2036 and provides the potential for a further reliant on large scale infrastructure provision. 5,000 new homes in the longer term. Chelmsford City County’s adopted Local Following an Examination in Public in Plan and the emerging Braintree Local Plan December 2018 the Chelmsford Local Plan make provision for significant housing and proposals were found sound by the Inspector development growth in the Chelmsford to in 2019. They were formally adopted by Braintree corridor. Chelmsford City Council in May 2020.
1 The Chelmsford North East Bypass and Beaulieu Station road and rail upgrade will deliver a major economic boost to Chelmsford City and Essex.
Essex County Council is delighted to have been awarded nearly £218m funding from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, plus £34m of funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and developers Countryside Zest.
The new 8km bypass will provide a missing link to the wider strategic network, helping to relieve the high level of traffic congestion in Chelmsford and enabling existing routes into the city centre to become sustainable transport corridors.
Beaulieu Station will provide an important transport interchange that will encourage more sustainable travel options.
2 N o ondon Braintree Stansted
Chelmsford North East Bypass and
A131 Beaulieu Station N R H E S Chelmer
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Broomfield
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Beaulieu Station Chelmsford minutes to ondon
E New road - Proposed road New road - Developers road
New Beaulieu railway station Chelmsford railway station
Great Eastern Main Line
Existing road network Housing already in development o ondon Proposed housing Southend Park and ride
Sustainable transport links
Airport Urban area of Chelmsford Planned growth 3 Roundabout yy Enable the 7,000 commuters who travel to Chelmsford from the Braintree area to get to work more quickly. yy Provide a strategic link between Chelmsford, Braintree, London Stansted Airport and the wider area. yy Relieve congestion on local roads and enable existing routes into Chelmsford yy Provide easier access to the A12. city centre, such as Broomfield Road What the and Essex Regiment Way to become yy Make accessing the new Beaulieu station sustainable transport corridors. bypass will do a more attractive offer, reducing the need to travel into Chelmsford City Centre. This will take 900 vehicles out of the city centre each morning peak, helping reduce pressure on the network, which currently only has 4% capacity at peak times.
yy In conjunction with the station, the bypass supports the sustainable delivery of over 14,000 new homes, all with excellent choice and connectivity to a wide range of jobs, amenities and transport modes.
4 Phase 1 yy Online dualling of the existing A131 Braintree Road between Deres Bridge and How the bypass a new roundabout at Chatham Green. yy New single carriageway connects to the will be delivered Beaulieu Park Radial Distributor Road (RDR1) currently under construction. yy Intermediate roundabout for future connection into the Chelmsford Garden Community (CGC) and second distributor road (RDR2). DE ELOPMENT SINGLE DUAL yy Construction of new roundabout at ROADS CARRIAGEWA CARRIAGEWA Chatham Green and CGC RDR2 junction. Built by others Built as Phase1 Existing A131
A131 BRAINTREE ROAD RDR1 RDR2 Phase 2 UNCTION UNCTION (future work - not part of this engagement) yy Future creation of the southbound dual GREEN CHATHAM BRIDGE DERES carriageway created by adding additional southbound carriageway. yy Chelmsford Garden Community junction upgraded and expanded creating slip roads with new dual carriageway below. yy Extended dual carriageway towards the TO BOREHAM UNCTION DUAL A12 at Boreham Interchange with an INTERCHANGE UPGRADE CARRIAGEWA additional new junction near Built as Phase 2 Built as Phase 2 Beaulieu Station.
5 Main construction works for railway Road open station begin - Phase 1 April 2023 Bypass construction Railway starts 2025 station open 26 2 22 2 2
Funding announced 2021 2019 Submission of planning application for bypass Scheme Design and April environmental timeline Corridor has 2020 2020 remained impact assessment safeguarded for the bypass 2008 Sheepcotes roundabout 1 / 1 1 improvement works Public Necessary to address the consultation 2007 immediate traffic congestion on scheme issues on this route 6 Beaulieu Station Key Benefits
Reducing Easing Safer, Greener and Improving Supporting Economic pressure congestion Healthier routes reliability sustainability boost The new Beaulieu The creation of the new bypass Chelmsford has the The creation of a Alongside the station, The station will railway station, on the will enable traffic to access the busiest two station passing loop will a transport interchange support an estimated Great Eastern Main Line A12 more easily, helping ease platform in the UK, outside mean that trains will connect to new 2,500 additional jobs (GEML) between London congestion on Chelmsford’s local of London. Reducing will be able to pass and existing bus, and generate in the to Norwich, will reduce road network. The creation of a pressure by encouraging each other at the footway and cycling region of £250m pressure on the existing new train station will further help those travelling from the station to improve networks, encouraging economic boost to Chelmsford and Witham to ease this pressure by reducing north and east to use reliability of the sustainable travel the local area once railway stations. The new the need for people commuting into Beaulieu Station: will whole GEML. to the station and fully constructed and three platform station London to travel into Chelmsford mean journeys will be for onward travel. operational. located adjacent to the by car – an estimated 900 car quicker and safer for all Charging points for new bypass will provide journeys will be removed during by relieving congestion in electric vehicles will be services to London in just each morning peak. For those Chelmsford’s passageways provided, promoting 40 minutes. travelling by road from the north of and staircases. Pedestrian greener use of the Chelmsford, the new station will be delays are expected to fall road network. reached 12 minutes quicker (via the by 17%. bypass) than Chelmsford Station.
7 Early-mid 2021 Public consultation on Planning Application Protecting the Early Submission of 2021 environment planning application
We are committed to minimising the environmental impacts of the Dec proposed bypass scheme. 2020 Environment Statement Please see the following timeline outlining the environment Oct 2019 - assessment stages. Oct 2020 Environmental assessment and additional ecology surveys Feb 2020
2015 Environmental Impact - 2019 Assessment (EIA) scoping report
Initial ecology 2007 surveys - 2008 Environment baseline study to inform route alignment 8 yy Route alignment: yy Sensitive scheme design: yy Considerate Constructors Chelmsford Preferred bypass scheme Scheme includes landscape Scheme: avoids sensitive areas planting, lighting and The future construction will North East (e.g. Sheepcotes ancient sound barriers to minimise include traffic management, woodland) and minimises visual, noise and negative noise and dust control and Bypass land severance. ecological effects. Design phasing to minimise any will also include measures potential disruption to the Environmental to ensure no additional flood local community and Mitigation and risk to the area. road networks. Enhancement
9 Map – Environmental factors
10 How to contact us If you would like to contact us with any questions about the scheme or leave any feedback, please email
More information can be found at: www.essex.gov.uk/chelmsford-north-east-bypass
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