Chelmsford’s authorities could, if they were so inclined, just sit back and relax about the town’s role as a regional shopping destination. Instead, they are acutely aware of the need to deal with the town’s shortcomings and fend off competition from places such as Colchester, Cambridge, Lakeside and Bluewater. Hence, they have made clear their aim to tackle these challenges and take a bigger slice of the county’s retail cake.
Chelmsford has a buoyant retail economy but, as a GVA Grimley retail study commissioned by Chelmsford council highlights, it has its problems too. A combination of low vacancy rates and small shops means, for example, that it is difficult to attract retailers and accommodate occupiers’ expansion plans.
The study also reveals that Chelmsford has few anchor stores, and there is below average provision of convenience goods retailers, major supermarkets and independent speciality shops.
Roger Estop, urban design manager with Chelmsford council, says the study proves that there is capacity for “considerable growth” in both these areas.
Indeed, GVA identifies a need for almost 800,000 sq ft of retail space and more than 80,000 sq ft of convenience floorspace.
Estop says a dual approach is needed to satisfy “substantial growth” in comparison retail. He explains: “It is a combination of finding somewhere where development can take place and provide genuine, additional floorspace along with improvements to existing parts of the town’s shopping centre.”
Possible developments
Construction of phase one of 53 Park Central in the town’s West End is due for completion in September. Around 30,000 sq ft of ground floor space, developed by CTP Developments, has been let to, among others, Tesco.
In addition, planners have identified various locations for expansion and are debating the viability of possible developments. Among them is land to the east of the high street, which would involve the relocation of a Debenhams department store and Tesco store, and the development of derelict land east of the Meadows shopping centre, including a former gasworks, which would include a new anchor store for the town.
Also in the frame is the possibility of enhancing retail frontages to improve the River Can area, where major occupiers include Marks & Spencer and a Co-op Quadrant store. The redevelopment and expansion of High Chelmer shopping centre is another option – one that would boost the town’s comparison retail provisions.
The council’s preferred option, says Estop, is to see development eastwards beyond the Meadows shopping centre with a scheme to be called Chelmer Waterside. “This is a natural extension of the town centre, and it creates links into the high street,” he says. “It also has the capacity to achieve the net additional floorspace required, and it uses land for regeneration purposes.”
Stakeholders in the area, including Liverpool Victoria Asset Management and Lend Lease – joint owners of The Meadows shopping centre – and Standard Life, which owns the adjacent Meadows Retail Park, are said to have voiced their support for the proposals.
However, the chosen option is not so popular with LaSalle Investment Management, which runs the High Chelmer shopping centre on behalf of long leaseholder CIN. Andrew Bolitho, associate director with LaSalle, says: “If you look at where High Chelmer sits at the moment, a decision to put retail at the waterside would not necessarily be the right one. You have to ask ‘what would then happen to High Chelmer?’”
He says the waterside area is too far from the town’s infrastructure, and would better suit other uses. Bolitho adds that High Chelmer offers the advantages of a central position and links to car parks and other investment projects, such as the town’s new bus station. “There are several sites vying for pole position,” he says. “Clearly, we feel ours provides the best opportunity, and should be the favoured site. We feel we are ticking the right boxes.”
According to Bolitho, the council – which owns the freehold of High Chelmer – is encouraging CIN to make proposals for the centre. The company is now working with Capital Shopping Centres, which owns an adjacent office block, to promote a redevelopment of the centre. He says the retail-led, mixed-use scheme would include a department store and a significant number of shops on two levels, alongside residential.
Bolitho says High Chelmer already trades well and has maintained almost full occupancy during a tough time for retail generally. But he agrees that the town lacks prime shops, especially big ones.
The council’s town-centre action plan, which will form part of its local development framework and include retail proposals, will be issued at the end of April. Further debate over objections will follow.
Optimum location
In the meantime, Bolitho says LaSalle and CIN are “working hard” to change the direction of current thinking. “We feel that, on a sequential basis, High Chelmer should be identified as the optimum location for new retail,” he declares.
The council’s Estop admits that there are concerns that pursuing development at the waterside would create an imbalance in the town and disadvantage parts of the primary frontage. He confirms that LaSalle has made a case to that effect. But he stresses various proposals are all still under consideration.
“We have to look at the whole balance and dynamics of the retail circuit,” he says. “We want to say a particular scheme is our preferred option and then we test it out to see what reaction it gets. Clearly, we would change our preferred option if that is what had to be done. The procedure tends to be interpreted as an either/or situation. But we see it as a strategy that has to be a combination of new development and improvements of existing space.”
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