Category: Channels Development

Estate Management Update

Most residents will be aware that the contract with DJC Property Management Ltd for management services at Channels (Aqua Verde and Eagle Rise) has been terminated and as such DJC will cease to provide any services on the development from the end of July. DJC provides managed services (landscape maintenance, communal cleaning etc.) for which residents pay an annual Service Charge fee. They also act as Company Secretary for the Channels (Chelmsford) Management Company (“CCMC”).

The decision to terminate the contract was taken by CCMC Directors in response to numerous concerns and complaints raised by residents over the last year. The Directors of both CCMC and DJC have worked hard to try to improve matters for many months but unfortunately were unable to reach agreement on what is an acceptable level of service and consequently have agreed to part company.

The Directors of CCMC have invited a shortlist of contractors to tender for the management, landscaping and company secretarial services and each will be asked to present their proposals on Friday 10th May. A detailed information pack and specification has been put together to ensure that all companies are bidding on the same basis.

The Channels Residents Community Group has been assisting CCMC Directors with the above process and has recommended that residents should be able to submit their ideas, thoughts and suggestions for consideration by CCMC Directors.

If you would like to submit suggestions, or any other feedback, please do so using the online form below, no later than close of play on Friday 3rd May. All responses will be collated, considered by CCMC Directors and used in preparation for when contractors present their proposals on 10th May.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Please note that due to the tight time-frames that are being worked to, you will not receive a personalised response however all feedback will be collated, considered by CCMC Directors and used in preparation for when contractors present their proposals in May. Your details will not be kept for any other purpose.

Parish Council Update

Dear Residents,

You will recall that Little Waltham Parish Council, at their meeting on 4th December, formally supported triggering a formal process to amend parish boundaries to ensure that we formed part of the Parish along with the rest of the wider Channels development. The information originally posted explaining the rationale for the change of boundaries can be found here and the Parish Council is still very keen to begin a new era with the Channels development becoming part of their Parish area.

Unfortunately we have been informed by the City Council that a large number of residents that signed the petition (required to kick off the formal process) were not actually registered as a Local Government Electors and as such we have been collecting more signatures to ensure that the process can move forwards.

With local government elections just around the corner, it is important that every resident is registered. You must register again if you’ve changed address and if you believe you are not registered for any reason, the easiest way to do so is via www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

On 2nd May 2019 the election for Little Waltham Parish Council will take place. The election was officially declared on 26th March 2019 and the notice may be viewed by clicking here.

The allotted number of Councillors for Little Waltham is 9 however as less than 9 people were nominated for election those persons will be elected on 2nd May and there will not be a contested poll. Notice of the uncontested election may be viewed by clicking here.

The fantastic news is that we now have a Channels resident, Melanie Williamson, duly elected as a Little Waltham Parish Councillor. Whilst our part of the development may not yet formally be part of the Parish, it does mean we have someone that can represent our views (and of course those of the wider development who do already sit within the Parish) on the council.

There are still 3 spaces to fill and the Parish Council will be at liberty to co-opt new Councillors after the election date so if anyone else is interested, you can find out more by clicking here.

You can also complete an application form which you can download and that can be sent via email to the Parish Clerk at littlewaltham@gmail.com.

Lastly, if you do want to vote in any of the local government elections, the deadline to register to vote is Friday 12 April!

Road Works Update (2)

The site team have advised that further works to complete the roads at the entrance of the development along Fairway Drive and Mashie Link are due to be carried out on Thursday 21st March and Friday 22nd March.

The area in question has had its ironworks and damaged kerbs replaced as per previous updates and there will continue to be access along these roads during the above dates, albeit restricted.

The Bellway traffic marshal will be present to assist and residents directly affected should have been notified where this has been possible.

Road Works Update

Further to the information posted in late January in relation to the raising of ironworks in preparation for the tarmac topping of Fairway Drive & Mashie Link, the Bellway site team have advised that the work could not be completed at first visit due to the bus route being affected, even though at initial planning this was not thought to be an issue.

Barconn will be raising ironworks as part of their 2nd phase of operations to the area along Fairway Drive and Mashie Link in readiness for tarmac which is pencilled in for the latter part of week commencing 11th March 2019. The areas affected are highlighted in the diagram below:

After discussion with First Bus, Bellway have agreed a temporary change to the normal route for the bus to allow completion of the required works. This will commence on Monday 4th March and end on Friday 15th March:

Please note:
Bellway will supply a traffic marshal to assist in the reversing of the bus during working hours (7.30am to 5.00pm) however the bus will revert back to its normal route during non-working hours (5.00pm to 7.30am) and at weekends.

Access for vehicles to Fairway Drive & Mashie Link will continue to be available albeit there may be some barriers to negotiate in various places during the 2 week works period.

If you know someone that doesn’t have access to the Facebook Group or this website, please advise them of the above plans 🙂

Foot Passage from Channels

There have been on-going concerns raised by many residents during recent months about safe and appropriate foot passage off of the Channels development. Essex County Councillor John Aldridge has raised the issue with the City Council as a result of being contacted by both the Community Group and individual residents and the issue has also been followed up recently directly with one of our City Councillors.

A response has been received from the City Council which addresses two major concerns; (a) Pedestrian access from the Channels development to the shop at the Shell Petrol Filling Station, Costa Coffee etc. on Essex Regiment Way and (b) Pedestrian and cycle access to the Beaulieu development and its facilities.

The response has been summarised below for information however it does not address timescales, neither does it address the issue of negotiating the muddy unlit bridle path that links to the front on Beaulieu on the Essex Regiment Way side.

So, some good news with some clarification still required 🙂

Access to Retail Units on ERW
Channels Drive (the RDR) has been designed without footpaths and cyclepaths on highway safety grounds; this is due to the function of the route linking the Boreham Interchange with Essex Regiment Way and the volume of traffic it will eventually carry, once fully open.

The outline planning permission for the Channels development pre-dates the grant of planning permission for the petrol filling station and shop, Costa Coffee and McDonalds; consequently, the need for any footpath connection to this part of the Mid Essex Gravels site could not have been anticipated when the planning permission for Channels was granted.

The Council has recognised that several residents of the Channels development have been accessing the retail units by foot, walking along the grass verges to Channels Drive; clearly the road was not designed to accommodate this practice, nor is it something they wish to see continue in the future, particularly when the RDR is fully open.

The Council has been working with the Channels developer and their landscape architects on the layout and design of the public open spaces throughout the development and have now approved the details. As noted in a previous update there will be a footpath through the Local Park (proposed to the east of the Shell Garage), to address the issues which are occurring presently; this path will connect with a future controlled pedestrian crossing off Albatross Way (adjacent to the Croudace development) and tie in with an existing footpath opposite the Costa Coffee.

Residents will then be able to access the Shell shop, Costa Coffee and McDonalds, by using controlled crossing points on Channels Drive and Albatross Way and a path through the future Local Park. The new path, will be provided away from Channels Drive so that residents are not walking close to the road.

Access to Beaulieu Facilities
There are two footpath/cycle connections provided from Beaulieu, linking with two existing footpath/cyclepaths within Channels Phase 2 (off Niblick Green). The primary strategic footpath/cyclepath will be hard surfaced and lit whilst the other will have a gravel surface which will not be lit for ecological reasons although there will naturally be some light splay from the future adjacent residential parcels.

The North-South Greenway route provides a connection to the Channels development, allows all residents access to two areas of equipped play space at Beaulieu (nearing completion) and southwards to the neighbourhood centre and other facilities at Beaulieu.

Public Open Spaces

As noted in the last update, construction of the first of the site-wide public open spaces will begin soon and it will include a pathway to enable safe passage to the retail units on Essex Regiment Way.

As a result of a recent discussion with the key stakeholders responsible, this now includes the work up of plans for lighting to facilitate safer passage during hours of darkness.

The first public open space is highlighted on the image below:

We have been advised that the open space will include facilities for younger children, benches and walkways and it will eventually form part of a much bigger site-wide linked parkland space for the Channels community.

As construction time nears, the designers and landowner are keen to engage with the community in further developing the vision for this first open space. We have links with experts that can assist with advising on how the space can be developed for ‘all inclusive’ use however it is obviously of paramount importance to gather views from residents.

This is your chance as residents to get involved and help shape the vision of the community space being developed. We are very fortunate that the designers and the landowner are willing to involve us so we need to make the most of the opportunity!

If you have an idea or suggestion, fill in the form below and we will collate everything and share with the key stakeholders for consideration.

Please discuss with your friends and neighbours so that we can gather as much feedback as possible 🙂

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Thank you for your response. ✨

If you leave your name & e-mail address, you may be contacted to discuss your suggestions in more detail. Your details will not be kept for any other purpose.

Residents Update

As residents may be aware, the Community Group has raised concerns over recent months about the lack of accountability and governance in relation to the site-wide management company. Neither residents nor our own management company sit on the board of the site-wide organisation and as such decisions can potentially be taken unilaterally (including changes to site-wide service charges) which may impact on residents.

Due to continued lobbying by the Community Group, monthly meetings have been set up to facilitate better communication in relation to site-wide matters. The meetings include as attendees each of the developers, the land owners (and their agent), a Community Group representative, a Croudace residents representative and DJC Property Management.

Whilst this does not give us any formal voting rights, it does mean we have a voice at the table and can receive information that may impact us. The first formal meeting was held on Friday 1st February and the key points of discussion are summarised below.

House Builders Update
Marden Homes will begin works for Phase 4 (around the main lake) in April and expect to be onsite for circa 18-20 months. There are ongoing discussions about access and due to concerns flagged by residents, Marden will forward a plan (awaiting sign off by Council Planning) which explains how they will manage the site. This will include where works traffic will be routed, where contractors will park and how the site will be cordoned off. This will also confirm whether the bridle path that runs past the lake will be closed. Once the plan is received, it will be made available via the website.

Home Group are accelerating their build and the first residents are due to move in towards the end of February. Marden Homes will be beginning Phase 6 (around the smaller lakes) in June. Bellway are due to have their last completion in March and will be off-site soon after this.

Public Open Spaces
As part of S106 planning conditions, Marden Homes have responsibility for the construction of the public open spaces. Work is due to start imminently and this will include a pathway to enable safe passage to the retail units on Essex Regiment Way. The completion of the open spaces to the North of where Homegroup are building will dovetail with the completion of Phase 6 and as such these areas are unlikely to be accessible to us for some time.

All of the open spaces will eventually facilitate easy pedestrian/cycle access across the entire development, up to where the new David Lloyd club will be located (subject to planning approval). We are liaising with the landowners agent to determine whether residents can have any input to the design of the open spaces.

Public Artwork
As part of S106 planning conditions, one of the developers has provided a sum of money to the City Council to fund public artwork. It is unclear what form this will take or where the art will be located however we are liaising with the landowners agent to determine what the council has planned, what the timescales are and whether residents can have any input.

Bus Service
All stakeholders are aware of the issues experienced with the bus service. First Bus have agreed to send a representative to the next meeting to explain their plan for improvement. There is consensus that First Bus need to be robustly held to account by all stakeholders especially as the service is currently funded by developers.

Nursery Site (Bellway)
Bellway have a responsibility to prepare the land identified for the nursery prior to leaving the site however they have no responsibility as part of planning to build it. In fact it would appear that Bellway flagged to the council early on that they had no intention to build the nursery as this was not their area of expertise. At present no developer has taken on the project and the council has been made aware of the position.

David Lloyd Club
It is likely that a formal planning application will not be made until June/July however there appears to be widespread support for the idea. David Lloyd will be represented at the forthcoming Little Waltham Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 5th February where they will explain more about the plan and give the public an opportunity to ask questions.

As always, feel free to send feedback or ask questions via the website 🙂

Important: DJC Contract

Dear Residents,

Please note that a Contract Expiry Notice, dated 24th January 2019, has been served on the DJC Property Management Contract. This action is a result of close working between the Community Group and the current director of the Residents Management Company (Bellway).

Leaflets will be dropped to all residents in due course to ensure that everyone is aware of the position and further updates will posted regularly.

Please click here for further details about what this means for residents.