Chelmsford in Essex has all the basic ingredients a fast growing city needs: It has an attractive rural location, good transport links to London and elsewhere, and space for expansion. In this report we will look at what is being done, and planned, to develop Chelmsford as a major regional city.
Chelmsford is a fast growing city in population terms. The population has grown 8% over the last decade to reach around 180,000. It is forecast to exceed 200,000 within 15 years.
The economy here was historically grounded in engineering, electronics and communications. Today the city is home to a number of future facing industries including advanced manufacturing, financial and professional services, science and tech., which provide well paid jobs. It is also the main regional centre for public administration, retail and leisure.
Chelmsford is well located for travel around the south east. Notably it is just 30 miles or 36 minutes by train to Liverpool Street in central London with five trains per hour at peak times. This has made it attractive to London commuters. The station here is said to be the busiest London commuter station outside the Greater London area itself. Stansted Airport is around 19 miles or 30 minutes by road.
Some key local infrastructure projects should make the city even more attractive for development in future: A new train station is under construction at Beaulieu Park to the north east of the city. It is expected to open towards the end of 2025. The station will offer services into Chelmsford, other regional towns and into London. Plans are being finalised for a new Chelmsford north eastern bypass. Work should begin on the initial phase next year with future phases to follow subject to funding. This will open up further new areas of land north of Chelmsford for development.
Chelmsford is a university city. Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) has a campus in the city centre and at Writtle. It opened a new, flagship School of Medicine in 2018. Relatively modest student numbers in the city (around 6,000) make for a limited student accommodation market however.
