Category: Channels Development

Bridleway (Eagle Rise to Beaulieu)

As previously noted, and following a site visit in early December, Chelmsford City Council has been liaising with the Essex County Council Highways team (who are in turn in discussion with Public Rights of Way team officers) with a view to laying limestone chipping along the 80m section of the bridleway route between the South West corner of Eagle Rise and Beaulieu. This will provide a temporary hard surface and whilst the route will remain unlit, it should be possible to negotiate safely without getting covered in mud.

We have been advised that Highways officers are currently seeking to ascertain the cost of the proposed temporary surface works and a source of funding has been identified to pay for the work.

The City Council Planning Officer is expecting to receive an update from Highways Officers by the end of this week and will aim to provide us with a confirmed position and hopefully, a timetable for completion of the works.

Site Wide & Highways Updates

Site-Wide Management
It was previously reported that DJC Property Management were given notice by the site-wide management company and as such there has been no formal site-wide management taking place since August 2019. POD Management has been appointed as managing agent for site-wide matters and this should facilitate more efficient management across the development generally on the basis POD also provide services to Bellway residents.

This also means that the ongoing investigation into site-wide costs will be easier to progress as POD now have formal authority to undertake a forensic analysis of the records previously kept by DJC.

Channels Signage
Residents will no doubt have noticed the broken signage at the entrance to the Channels Development. The large sign as you drive in from the first roundabout on Essex Regiment Way has a number of letters missing and does not give a good impression.

This was previously the responsibility of Bellway however as they have now left the site, the landowner agent (Ptarmigan Land) will work with POD to confirm whether the signage is to be removed or whether it will be repaired and maintained appropriately.

Speed Limit Signs (Eagle Rise & Aqua Verde)
The specification for the missing 20mph speed limit signs has been agreed with the Council, all signs are on order and Bellway are awaiting delivery. The intention was to have the signs installed prior to the end of December however it is likely this will now roll over into the new year.

Highways Adoption (Eagle Rise & Aqua Verde)
The contractor has the details of what Essex Highways require before roads can be signed off for adoption and Bellway believe that the majority of those works have now been completed. Any outstanding remedial work will be completed early in the new year and there are also ongoing discussions about implementation of traffic calming measures.

However given the number of issues that still appear to be present, the Estates & Amenities Sub Committee may need to review the position and with the assistance of POD & the RMC, further challenge Bellway. Unfortunately if Essex Highways sign off the roads as suitable for adoption, it will be very hard to get Bellway back to change anything.

Footpaths Update

Further to information posted a month ago, and following further discussion with the City Council, we have some updates in relation to footpath infrastructure around the Channels development.

Bridleway (ERW to Eagle Rise)
The section of the bridleway from the point of connection with Eagle Rise to Essex Regiment Way is owned by a third party and not Countryside Zest.

The poor state of the bridleway has been noted and Essex County Council Highways are in discussion with the Public Rights of Way team with a view to laying limestone chipping on the 80m section of the bridleway route between Channels and the link to Beaulieu as a priority. This will provide a temporary hard surface and whilst the route will remain unlit, it should be possible to negotiate safely without getting covered in mud.

A Pegasus crossing is intended to be provided across Essex Regiment Way to connect the bridleway each side of the road. The crossing will see additional improvements to the bridleway route however this is unlikely to be delivered by Essex County Council until late 2020 at the earliest.

Footpath/Cyclepath to ERW Retail Units
Marden Homes are set to start work in January and envisage that the laying out of the Local Park (to the north of the Bellway development) will be a year long programme.

All stakeholders do however understand the urgency of opening an access path to the retail units on Essex Regiment Way for residents and progress will be monitored and reviewed each month to ensure it remains the priority for delivery. The new path is likely to be ready Spring 2020.

Channels/Beaulieu Links
Countryside Zest have made available a marked-up plan which shows the strategic footpaths/cyclepaths (primary and secondary) to be delivered through Beaulieu, including the connections to Channels.

This still does not provide a definitive timeline for all links and as such this is an area for which we will continue to push for further clarity.

Andrew Wright
Chair, Channels Residents Community Group

Footpaths Update

Following on from protracted correspondence with Countryside, Planning Officers and City Councillors, a meeting with representatives from Countryside and the City Council finally took place on Tuesday 19th November to discuss the footpath links between Channels & Beaulieu.

We walked around the Beaulieu site and were shown where new key links from Channels would be provided including whether these would be primary (hard surfaced and lit) or secondary (gravel and unlit).

Unfortunately it transpired that residents of Channels will have to endure the majority of the winter months with the only access to and from Beaulieu being via a dark and muddy bridleway or dark gravel paths.

Whilst there is recognition that the over-arching planning for joining up the developments could/should have been dealt with better, there is very little that can be done to resolve the current situation.

The pathway that leads from Niblick Green (parallel to the existing bridleway and past the new play park) should have been hard surfaced and lit around the time the play park opened in June 2019. However there have been significant technical issues experienced with the buff tarmac in other areas of Beaulieu (and Channels) and as such this part of the project has had to be re-specified, re-approved and re-scheduled. Had the path been hard surfaced and lit in line with the original timescale, there would have only been a relatively short section of gravel path to negotiate between hard, lit footpath & cycle ways.

Countryside will prepare a detailed mark-up plan, including all key links between Channels and Beaulieu, which will show the status of each route (primary/secondary) and the timescales for delivery.

The City Council Planning representative will also be assisting us in liaising with Essex Highways with a view to bark being laid along the most muddy section of the bridleway to ease access from the footpath connection at the western end of Eagle Rise across to the deer structure at Beaulieu.

We have spent considerable time, engaged a number of key stakeholders and explored every possible avenue in an attempt to improve the current situation. However it would appear that due to the complex phasing of the Beaulieu build, some technical problems that have been encountered and a number of additional ecological considerations, residents will have to continue navigating dark and muddy paths for the next few months when heading to and from Beaulieu.

The good news is that by the Spring/early Summer of 2020, there will be a much improved network of both primary and secondary routes for walking/cycling which will facilitate safe & easy movement to, from and around Beaulieu without the need to jump in a car.

Lastly a key meeting between Ptarmigan Land, landscape architects and Marden Homes is due to take place later this week. Marden Homes is responsible for delivering and laying out the open spaces north of Channels Drive including the local park through which a footpath will be provided to the roadside services on Essex Regiment Way. Once this meeting has taken place, there will be greater clarity on timescales for delivery of this key path.

Christmas at Channels!

With the festive season not that far away, the Community Group Social Unity Committee is working to bring something a little bit special to Channels again this year.

With the support of those working across the development, and at the Channels Estate, we will see the installation of a lit Christmas tree on the communal green area between Eagle Rise & Aqua Verde. All being well, we will also have a marquee erected (purchased with our grant) so that if the weather is as unkind as it was in 2018, the fun can continue!

We welcome you and your family to join us on Sunday 15th December from 3.00pm when the Christmas tree will be the focal point for festivities.

Plans are underway for fun and games, local business stalls, mulled wine, refreshments, a minced pie bake off competition, a raffle and most importantly a Christmas sing along!

If you want to get involved in assisting making our event a success, do get in touch via: www.Channels.Community/Xmas-Help

We look forward to seeing you all on the green from 3.00pm on Sunday 15th December 🙂

CRCG Social Unity Committee

Community Update

Footpaths
There has been continued discussion with local stakeholders (Chelmsford City Council, Countryside & Ptarmigan Land) about the fact that residents of Channels have no hard, lit, access to and from the development by foot either down to Essex Regiment Way or across to Beaulieu.

As a result of information received from the above stakeholders over recent weeks, which sadly confirmed that we would indeed be stuck for another winter with the same situation, a meeting was held with City Councillor Barry Knight so that he could see first hand (in the dark) the issues that we face. He agreed that it was far from ideal and that he would not be happy with the situation if he lived on the development.

Cllr Knight has lobbied on our behalf and a further meeting will now take place with planners and Countryside to explore whether a re-phasing of works can be agreed which could potentially see a hard, lit path extend from Niblick Green much earlier than the planned implementation date of May 2020. In addition Ptarmigan Land are working with Marden Homes (who are responsible for building the open spaces on the other side of Channels Drive) with a view to accelerating the installation of a hard lit path to and from the retail units on Essex Regiment Way.

It has taken a great deal of persistence to get this far and there is still no guarantee that matters will improve however the Estates & Amenities Sub Committee will take this action forward and do its best to secure better access for all off of the development.

Bus Issues
It has become apparent that there are issues with the 51 Bus Service again with many reports of buses breaking down or not turning up. It is important that if there is an issue that you continue to log it via the website so that evidence can be collated and presented to the organisation that is responsible for managing the contract with First Bus. There is now an option added to cover the scenario of the bus breaking down!

For those that have been waiting for it, the ‘real time’ bus display board is due for installation at the bus stop on Friday 1st November.

Community Fundraising
Other than securing grants when available, the Community Group is reliant on the goodwill of residents to continue with its activities. This could include helping out with the running of community events or fundraising for specific projects such as benches on our land.

The CRCG now has a Paypal account and as such if residents wish to assist with fundraising via donations, it’s easy to do so!

Channels Fountain
Our fountain is back and running again! Unfortunately despite much investigation, it is still unclear why the water level dropped so much and then did not refill, despite the extensive amount of rainfall that has led to other ponds and swales retain plenty of water. Bellway do believe that there is a link with the draining of the main lake however we will need to to monitor the situation over the coming months.

For now enjoy the fountain 🙂

The CRCG Needs YOU!

The current Committee members have spent a significant amount of their personal time progressing a number of key issues including improvement of estates, sorting the unreliable buses, starting neighbourhood watch, securing our first community grant and of course appointment of a new Managing Agent (POD Management Ltd).

However it is now more important than ever that as many people as possible get involved in helping to build a strong community. The CRCG Aims can only be achieved with the involvement of the local community and this is your chance to shape the future for Bellway at Channels.

We need you to get involved and be part of something special!


Take a look at the brief for each of the sub-committees and if there is an area you are interested in and want to be involved with, get in touch!

The names of all those that have pledged to get involved will be collated at the end of October and individuals will be allocated to their respective sub-committees based on the preferences advised. Each sub-committee will then be tasked with taking forward their work under the leadership of the relevant CRCG Committee Member.

The CRCG Committee looks forward to working with you 🙂

2019/20 Service Charges

Service Charge Demands for the period 1st July-31st December 2019 have now been raised. Notifications for privately owned properties were sent directly to residents week commencing 7th October however tenants of both Colne Housing and CHP will receive notifications via those organisations respectively. As such there will be a short delay before tenants have confirmation of the updated charges that form part of their tenancy agreements.

As previously advised there has been an increase in the Service Charge, primarily to reflect the fact that the previous Grounds Maintenance budget for RMC responsible land was not set at the right level to comply with strict on-going planning conditions. The value for Grounds Maintenance still remains a best estimate and will be confirmed over the next few months once a procurement exercise for this element of service has been undertaken by POD Management on behalf of the RMC. The procurement will facilitate delivery of the detailed Service Specification that was produced jointly by Bellway, the RMC & the CRCG earlier in the year to ensure that planning conditions could be satisfied.

It is important to note that the Service Charge Budget currently includes a value for site-wide costs at the same level as that notified in 2018/19. We believe that there should be a credit due for 2018/19 and indeed that the costs for 2019/20 should be lower on the basis many of the open spaces are not yet available for residents to access. However until the on-going detailed investigation into site-wide costs has been completed, it is considered prudent to provide for the same level of budget.

Notwithstanding the above position, and due to the on-going concerns about transparency in relation to site-wide costs, POD have been instructed not to make any payment until the aforementioned investigation has been concluded.

The summary schedule of costs and letter that has been sent to residents of privately owned properties can be viewed from the Service Charges Page.

Andrew Wright, Interim Director
Channels (Chelmsford) Management Company Ltd

Coffee with Cops!

Don’t forget that there is a Channels Coffee with Cops session with Valerie Whitchurch, PCSO from the Chelmsford & Maldon Community Policing Team, taking place on Saturday 5th October between 3-5pm.

Coffee with Cops is part of local engagement where officers visit local cafés to ensure they are visible. Officers are available to speak to attendees on a one to one basis and no appointment is necessary.

We look forward to seeing you at the Channels Brasserie at 3pm!

You can find out more about the Chelmsford & Maldon Community Policing Team via their Facebook page.