Beaulieu Park

Members of the ERUF committee yesterday met with representatives from Countryside Properties to get an overview of the planned station at Beaulieu Park just north of Chelmsford. Talk of a station in this area has existed for decades but at long last there seems to be progress.

Work on this particular plan has been going in since 2004 with the developers providing business and technical plans to the then SRA to prove that the station can be developed by a third party with 'nil cost to the railway'. Such a plan requires support and agreement from Chelmsford Borough Council, Essex County Council, Countryside Properties, Office of Rail Regulation, Department for Transport, Network Rail and the operator, currently NXEA.

It is estimated that the building process will take 4.5 years from planning approval which will hopefully be obtained in 2010/2011 with completion due in 2015. The length of the development is driven by the fact that building next to a live railway complicates the process considerably with developers requiring possession of the line to complete much of the work.

The building of Beaulieu Park will hopefully reduce traffic congestion in Chelmsford and also reduce the number of people using Chelmsford station which currently has the distinction of being the busiest commuter station in the country, outside London. No mean feat for such a small station.

Of benefit to all passengers north of Chelmsford is that fact that the station will have four platforms thereby providing a convenient passing loop enabling faster services to pass slower trains.