Grosvenor on board for Chelmsford garden village

Landowner Hammonds Estates has teamed up with Grosvenor Britain & Ireland as master developer to promote the 1,160 acre site for a new garden village supported by community facilities such as education, leisure and health facilities.

This development site stretches from the A414 northwards to Little Baddow Lock, from the A12 east to Sandon Brook.

In 2018, Grosvenor outlined plans to triple the size of its strategic land business, targeting a portfolio of at least 30,000 homes within the next five years.  The new partnership aligns with Grosvenor’s focus on sites capable of hosting between 2,000 and 5,000 homes.

With the addition of Hammonds Farm, Grosvenor’s pipeline stands at around 15,000 homes, up from 2,100 just 18 months ago. 

Grosvenor’s model is to take sites through the planning system, take control of the design and build out process and deliver the infrastructure required to bring forward homes. 

Grosvenor director of development Alex Robinson said: “This new partnership exemplifies our target model for our strategic land business.  Working with Hammonds Estates LLP – as with our existing partners on our other schemes – we will focus both on delivering new homes at pace, and creating exceptional communities that create a positive legacy for residents and landowners alike.

“This requires a considered approach and a long-term view.  It means deploying capital patiently to unlock development through up-front investment in infrastructure and placemaking, as well as maintaining careful stewardship over the design and management of new communities as they grow.”

Alex Robinson added: “Quality of environment is a major differentiator for our strategic land model.  At both Trumpington Meadows [Cambridgeshire] and Barton Park [Oxfordshire], we are meeting calls for a more meaningful debate on the role of open space and green infrastructure.  At Hammonds Farm, we look forward to interrogating these issues further to ensure that the site reaches its potential as a successful, healthy community.”

Hammonds Estates development manager Matthew Lynwood said: “Our vision is to establish a different model for development.  Working with Grosvenor, we want to challenge and innovate – shaping a sustainable and inclusive new community which goes beyond just delivering new homes, but which offers inspiration and opportunities not available elsewhere for all sections of the community that live and work there.”

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