JTP's New Neighbourhood in Chelmsford Receives Planning Approval
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JTP's New Neighbourhood in Chelmsford Receives Planning Approval

Published on 8 June 2017

JTP’s newest placemaking initiative for 240 homes at Belsteads Lane, located to the North of Chelmsford, has received full planning approval.

Belsteads Lane is made up of several phases that form part of the wider planned expansion known as Channels. Situated on an existing golf course, the site offered JTP and client Home Group the opportunity to create a unique new neighbourhood set within the beautiful landscape of Essex countryside. The proposals for Belsteads Lane will deliver 240 new homes with a mix of tenures and sizes, ranging from one and two bedroom apartments right up to five bedroom family homes.

The brief from Home Group was to create a bespoke set of high quality housetypes in line with their design principles, with features such as full height glazing, open soffit ceilings, open plan living arrangements and a strong connection between indoor and outdoor space. The designs focused on creating defined character areas which incorporated the green infrastructure, such as the ‘Rural Green Edges’, ‘Courtyard Clusters’, The Village Green’, ‘Central Square’ and the ‘Lanes’. The house typologies were influenced by the Essex Barn vernacular, and the set of design principles that unite them create a cohesive neighbourhood that is both desirable and beautiful.

“
It was an interesting challenge to reinterpret the Essex Barn vernacular for a contemporary set of housetypes; by setting the homes out in farmyard-style clusters we were able to create a genuinely tenure-blind neighbourhood, which we can now look forward to seeing built.
Ian Fenn, JTP Partner

JTP is now taking the proposals forward and producing detailed working drawings for the project, helping to ensure the vision and quality embedded within the initial designs is taken through to the end result.