PLANS to create a new 80-acre country park in Chelmsford were announced this week.
The site – which is twice the size of Central Park – will stretch eastwards from Chelmer Bridge to Sandford Mill and is next to the River Chelmer.
Later in the month, more than 2,000 residents around Chelmer Village will be asked to shape the future of the riverside land, which is currently a mixture of flood plain, water meadow and rough pasture, with restricted public access.
Chelmsford city councillor Ron Alcock, who represents the Chelmer Village and Beaulieu Park ward, said the area desperately needed more green space.
"This area certainly needs more greenery where people can spend their leisure time. The riverside is a great asset and a country park would be a lovely addition to Chelmer Village and Chelmsford more generally."
The site is owned by Countryside Properties, the developer behind the £1 billion extension to Beaulieu Park, which will see 3,600 new homes, a railway station and three schools built – and create 9,000 jobs.
On Saturday, February 22, and Sunday, February 23, at Sandford Mill, the property developers will ask residents what they would like the country park to look like and how public access can be maximised.
Countryside Properties' strategic director Mark Gallagher said: "The area is one of Chelmsford's hidden treasures, the opportunity to transform the area into a leisure and recreation area is a tremendous one for Chelmer Village, Chancellor Park and Chelmsford.
"Together with the local community and the city council, we want to explore how this transformation can be achieved, including some enabling development in the form of, for example, a children's day nursery and specialist elderly care."
But some residents are worried that any development could damage a fragile ecosystem.
In a letter to the Chronicle, Ruth and Gerald Jolly of Chelmer Village, said: "Currently, the area is rough farmland, crisscrossed by footpaths where horses graze.
"It is a natural habitat for many animals.
"We have spotted deer, and a pair of barn owls are regularly seen hunting for small rodents.
"It would be a great shame to lose this natural habitat.
"The area is also the flood plain and if not allowed to flood it would increase the risk along other parts of the Chelmer, including the town centre."
