A MAJOR housing project bringing 507 new homes to central Chelmsford has been officially launched.
A ceremony was held on Tuesday to mark the beginning of the £100 million redevelopment of the former Anglia Ruskin University site, now that the groundworks are complete.
The project will provide a mixture of affordable and private homes and is expected to be completed by 2015.
Housing giant Genesis also has permission to build a 13-storey tower, offices and a supermarket on the Victoria Road South site.
The transformation also includes the renovation of three existing historic buildings – Anne Knight, Frederick Chancellor, and the Law Building.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Neil Hadden, CEO at Genesis, which won planning permission last year, said: "This development demonstrates our ongoing commitment to building affordable homes and creating places where people want to live.
"It takes just 30 minutes by train to get to Liverpool Street from Chelmsford, and only 20 minutes to Stratford, so we envisage that these homes will attract a lot of interest from people who are working in the capital but simply can't afford to live there."
He said that Genesis and construction partner Denne would be working with the local authorities and schools to train young people in construction skills.
"This process is well under way with three young people already working on the project from the Chelmsford area," said Mr Hadden.
