Beaulieu Park Case Study

Development name: Beaulieu Chase and Beaulieu keep

Location: Chelmsford, Essex

Architect: Gardner Stewart Architects

Developer: Countryside and L&Q

Accommodation type: a range of 3,4&5 bedroom homes

Conceived as a sustainable urban extension for Chelmsford, Beaulieu will comprise a mix of traditional and contemporary new homes located in a series of individually designed and masterplanned neighbourhoods. Linked by an extensive network of parkland and open spaces and there will be new health and sports facilities, local shops, schools and community facilities.  It will also provide a new parkland setting for Grade 1 listed New Hall school.

When complete the Beaulieu Park scheme will comprise of 3,600 homes, 2 primary schools and a secondary school, business space and a neighbourhood centre, embracing the balanced community principles outlined in the EDG.

Beaulieu Chase consists of 4 & 5 bedroom detached houses, all of which look over an expansive landscaped park known as ‘The Chase’. There are two designs of home in the Beaulieu Chase phase; the four-bedroom Maxima and five-bedroom Terrazza. Both homes will provide an attractive vista over the thoughtfully designed series of gardens that make up the park.

Beaulieu Keep offers a choice of architectural styles, ranging from traditional weather boarded properties within courtyards to contemporary style houses overlooking the Chase park. This phase of Beaulieu boasts an impressive sense of arrival thanks to the attractive landscaped entrance and unforgettable public art installations, whilst every home is set to benefit from an array of new planned amenities and transport links.

Beaulieu Park as a large scale development is able to incorporate some of the EDG's garden community principles in its approaches to transport, connectivity & active travel by placing walking, cycling and public transport at the heart of developments. 

A multi-million pound package of new infrastructure and community facilities is being provided to facilitate the development to service residents and the surrounding community.

Network Rail are set to develop a new station at Beaulieu following a £22m investment, making commuting into the capital even quicker and easier. It is anticipated that the station will open by 2022 and is set to provide a service running every 10 minutes at peak times.

Proposals for the scheme also incorporate a bus interchange and substantial cycle parking, as well as a dedicated pedestrian and cycle route which will connect both the residential areas and the business park to the new rail station.

Beaulieu residents now benefit from a brand new express bus route. This facility makes travelling to and from Chelmsford town centre and railway station a great deal easier, with expected journey times from Beaulieu into London Liverpool Street within the hour. Launched with an innovative software which allows passengers to download tickets onto their mobile device, tickets can also be renewed and real time information on expected arrival and departure times is easily accessible.

Alongside the new train station, as the development matures, a new relief road will also be opened enabling a more convenient link between the A130 and junction 19 of the A12. This will not only benefit those living and working at Beaulieu, but also the wider community, creating a more convenient link connecting the A12 with routes to Braintree, Stansted and the M11. The new relief road and rail bridge are currently forecast to be completed in early 2019.