Chelmsford council’s development agreement with Lend Lease to develop a four-acre town centre site in
Lend Lease has been in negotiations with British Gas to buy the site, which is adjacent to its 151,000 sq ft Meadows shopping centre.
Roy Whitehead, leader of Chelmsford council, which owns the land along with the National Grid, said: “We have not given up on the site. We are exploring new options and our ambitions for it remain the same.
“We have been in discussions with Lend Lease for five years, but nothing was happening.”
The Australian developer’s proposed 1.5m sq ft retail-led scheme for the site, includes 800,000 sq ft of shops, around 1,000 homes, 60,000 sq ft of restaurants and cafes, and 1,200 parking spaces.
The development is based on a council report that identifies a need for around 1.1m sq ft of additional shops in Chelmsford by 2021.
A spokeswoman for Lend Lease said: “A Cooperation Agreement between Chelmsford council and Chelmsford Meadows Limited Partnership (CMLP) expired in August 2008 (there were no terminations on either side).
“The agreement came to a natural end following the success of the council, supported by CMLP, in obtaining an allocation within the Area Action Plan, designating Chelmer Waterside as the primary area for retail expansion in
“We remain very keen to pursue the development in
“We are working with the council and other stakeholders including National Grid.”
annabel.dixon@estatesgazette.com
