Over recent years Chelmsford has continued to grow leading the City Council to carry out a review of areas where additional housing could be built supported by infrastructure in order to provide thousands of houses and jobs by 2036 resulting in the adoption of a local plan in May 2020.
In particular north east Chelmsford was identified as an area for growth and indeed by the time the plan had been adopted new homes had already been built in this locality and the plan envisioned future development to include the brand new Chelmsford Garden Community.
The Chelmsford Garden Community will add four new villages, offering a balance of new homes, businesses, leisure & community facilities, schools, and a railway station. It already has Essex’s first all-through school for ages 5-18 years and the Beaulieu express bus service into the city centre. The new Garden Community ethos will bring together the best of city and country living and through resident participation and leadership, promote the health and wellbeing of those who live and work there.
The City Council recognised that for the effective governance of the area in general it would need to make changes to the organisation of the local Parishes and Parish Councils. This was achieved following a Community Governance Review when legal orders were put in place in August 2022 to form 2 new Parish Councils.
For our area, a new Parish Council was formed which in the legal document stated that the it was ‘the new Parish of Chelmsford Garden’ and went on to formally call the Council ‘The Community Council of Chelmsford Garden’.
The new Council was formed on 1st April 2023 and at its first meeting, the Council formally resolved to call itself Chelmsford Garden Community Council. The Council now consists of 13 Councillors across four wards and is strongly committed to the ethos of community. Indeed in its first strategy statement the number one aim and aspiration of the Council is stated as follows:
For Chelmsford Garden Community Council to be central to a thriving community where people wish to live as part of a connected and sustainable area with the needs and wellbeing of residents central to its decision making.
Therefore the Council sees itself as modern and innovative in achieving its aims and rather than referring to itself or indeed this area as a Parish, prefers to use the terms area or locality interchangeably with the term of Parish and for such words to have the same meaning.
Take a look on this website for information about ways in which you can engage with Councillors, attend meetings and events and make sure your voice is heard in our exciting new Community!
The master planning and promotion of the Garden Community is being led by a Developer Consortium (Countryside L&Q, Ptarmigan Land, and Halley Developments) in collaboration with Chelmsford City Council (CCC), Essex County Council (ECC) and Homes England. There is a dedicated website (managed by the Developer Consortium) that contains detailed information, plans and presentations at www.chelmsfordgardencommunity.co.uk and additional information can be found on the City Council Website. You can also download a factsheet HERE.
The Garden Community will be designed in collaboration with new and existing residents, facilitating mechanisms by which the community will engage in long-term stewardship, ultimately contributing to a legacy of which the city can be proud. The new Council will be at the heart of the new community as it evolves and will develop a culture of collaboration with residents, shaping neighbourhoods, and promoting a community that truly enables people to find their “home for life”.