CHELMSFORD'S drive to match up to its new city status was boosted this week with the approval of a Waitrose supermarket and a host of other multi-million pound redevelopments.
The upmarket food store got the go-ahead for its plan to demolish the city's Royal Mail sorting office in Victoria Road for a supermarket with 240 parking spaces, 37 homes and an Islamic Community Centre to replace the one demolished in Regina Road.
In the same week, a £1.5 million revamp of Chelmsford train station was approved, while insurance firm Amlin also announced ambitious plans to sweep away an outdated office block in Victoria Road for its new headquarters with 700 staff.
Bellway homes has launched a two-day exhibition of its plans for the derelict Marconi factory in nearby New Street, which has been billed as the biggest city centre development since the estate off Navigation Road was built 85 years ago.
At the same time, plans to restore the 19th century Anne Knight building opposite the train station have emerged, while Essex County Council pledged to keep Shire Hall for public use at the Chelmsford Ideas Festival on Saturday. Residents are being asked to suggest their ideas for its future use.
City council leader Roy Whitehead said: "Things are moving forward quite remarkably and there will soon be new jobs at Amlin, Waitrose and, let's not forget, John Lewis, which got the go ahead last month.
"I am delighted that Bellway is not planning anything more than five or six storeys on the Marconi site, as opposed to the 18-storey towers in a previous plan by a different developer.
"All these places are key to the identity of our new city and I am delighted that things are now moving ahead quite rapidly."
