Work on a new bridge across the Chelmer is planned to start in just over 12 months.

The bridge being proposed by Chelmsford City Council to replace an existing pedestrian bridge being constructed to support the development of 1,100 homes in the Chelmer Waterside development by allowing access to Baddow Road.

The main constraint facing the proposed redevelopment of the Chelmer Waterside site is vehicular access and although planned junction improvements at Springfield Road and Navigation Road have allowed permission for 446 homes on the site to date, they are not sufficient to allow further development.

It is proposed that the new road should follow an existing track across a brownfield site and towards the river, passing the records office and then over the river via the new bridge which is to replace the existing pedestrian and cycle bridge and then through the what is currently the Baddow Road car park to join Baddow Road.

It is anticipated that the main construction works are to be carried out between Spring 2022 and Spring 2023.

The proposed works are within the boundaries of existing roads and are considered necessary for the improvement of the road.

A statement from Ringway Jacobs, Essex County Council’s highways contractors, said: “It is our considered opinion that the development will provide a much needed access to unlock Chelmer Waterside for future developments.”