Beaulieu Park, Chelmsford

[Karcheer]

Hello,

Dh and I are seriously considering moving here in the new year.
Dh is worried about the commute to the city and the traffic to the station, and I'm worried about what it's like to live on such a big development (Truman show)...

Does anyone live there? What's it like? It looks so lovely,, but wondering what it's really like.

Thank you.

I think with the number of new houses being built there is going to be a problem with the surrounding infrastructure. White Hart Lane is an absolute nightmare at rush hour and will not cope well with the amount of increased traffic. Chelmsford gridlocks as soon as there's an incident on the A12. Already it's impossible to park at Broomfield Hospital and local GP surgeries are struggling. I think a new health centre is proposed as part of the build but confess I don't know when this will be. Generally the houses on BP are nice but I wouldn't want to live on such a huge development.

I think your dh is right about driving to the station. Parking is very limited and expensive at Chelmsford station. There is a park and ride very close though and dp tells me there are buses from BP to the station running already.

I also agree that the local infrastructure will be very busy. There are already rush hour jams going past it now.

It looks pretty though.

The commute itself is fine - 35 minutes into Liverpool Street and should get a seat every day if you time the trains right ....... getting to the station and parking is a ball ache though as the posters above say

I specifically didn't allow my DD to sit the Newhall school exam owing to the traffic issues in and around the area. I knew I couldn't sit for hours in traffic largely caused by in adequate roads trying to cope with the weight of traffic using them. (The school itself is nowhere near the station so that was not an option)The development itself looks great, shops nearby etc and I just passed it yesterday but I agree with pp until the infrastructure servicing it is sorted, it will mean timing your journeys around various traffic pinch points according to the day of the week. It would be a deal breaker for me.

I have just taken over an hour to get from braintree to rayleigh largely due to congestion around Beaulieu

It should take 25 minutes.

A friend was thinking of moving there but said they’d only buy one of the original builds not the newest stage Of the development as they are very on top of each other and for that price tag I’d be quite unhappy if that was the case.

We looked at the development but were put off as we had the same concerns about the logistics of getting to/from the station for work and how the traffic would be in the surrounding area. I think it's an issue with a lot of newbuilds, we were worried about the surrounding infrastructure being able to cope with the increase in people.

Most cities are congested in the peak hours though. I travel to Chelmsford every day and use the park and ride, which stops outside the station. It costs £3.50 per day to travel on the P&R bus, but parking is free. You should note that there are two P&R facilities, Sandon and Chelmer Valley. I think that Chelmer Valley is nearest to Beaulieu and would probably be the easiest and less stressful way of travelling to the station for an onward commute.

Yes, I mentioned that Tiglet. My DP uses it 3 times a week.

Chelmer Valley is definitely closer to Beaulieu

We moved into a house on what was then a new estate in Chelmsford almost 40 years ago. At that time doctors, dentists, schools as well as shops, were not especially plentiful. The journey into Chelmsford was slow (before the by-pass the a12 ran right through the town) and buses to our estate ran twice an hour between 7am and 7pm. Things had not improved significantly by the time we moved away five years later. In fact, lack of services was a big factor in our decision to move away from the area completely. I agree the development looks good from a distance (drive past regularly), but I'd definitely want to check out services as well as travel.

Myself and my DP moved to Beaulieu in December and are loving it thus far. There's a bus service which runs from Beaulieu to the station which you get a free pass for as part of the package on the properties. This bus takes about 12 minutes and is very convenient.

Also, despite it being a new build development there is a great sense of community amongst the existing residents already. Schools and GP surgeries are being built as part of the development as well as relief roads.

We had similar concerns as yourself before moving here but decided to bite the bullet and can assure you that it's payed off. Once you get into the routine of it, it's not any hassle at all.