Chelmsford Conservatives have warned that the cancellation of the A12 widening scheme has left a major hole in Chelmsford’s infrastructure plans – while the Liberal Democrat-run City Council continues to propose thousands more homes.
New Department for Transport figures reveal that £212.5 million of taxpayers’ money has already been spent developing the cancelled A12 widening scheme between Chelmsford and Marks Tey.
The scheme had secured planning permission, survived a legal challenge and had funding committed under the previous Conservative Government.
Crucially for Chelmsford, its cancellation also meant the loss of the planned Junction 19 upgrade, which was intended to improve connections between Boreham, Beaulieu and the new Beaulieu Park Station.
Chelmsford Conservatives say this leaves communities facing the consequences of substantial housing growth without the road infrastructure that was supposed to support it.
Thousands of homes have already been built around Beaulieu and Channels, with further development approved. Recent approval for additional growth at Channels will put further pressure on local infrastructure.
Yet the Liberal Democrats’ emerging Local Plan proposes still more major development, including Hammonds Farm – a development originally proposed in the context of the Junction 19 improvements that have now been cancelled.
Chelmsford Conservatives say the Council cannot simply assume that residents of thousands of new homes will leave their cars at home and rely on public transport.
Seena Shah, Chairman of Chelmsford Conservatives and City Councillor for Broomfield and The Walthams which includes the Channels and New Beaulieu developments, said:
“Cancelling Junction 19 while continuing to approve thousands more homes simply doesn’t add up.
“Residents in Channels, New Beaulieu and Boreham were supposed to benefit from infrastructure that connected these growing communities properly to the A12 and Beaulieu Park Station. Instead, the homes are going ahead while vital infrastructure disappears.
“The Liberal Democrats now want even more development through their Local Plan, including Hammonds Farm, while seemingly assuming people will just leave their cars at home.
“Beaulieu Park Station is hugely important, but public transport cannot replace every car journey. People still have to get to work, do the nursery or school runs, shop and make journeys across Chelmsford and Essex.
“Planning needs to be based on how people actually live, not how politicians would like them to travel. More homes without the infrastructure to support them will mean more congestion and more pressure on existing communities.”
The £212.5 million loss demonstrates the scale of work that had already gone into the A12 project before it was cancelled.
The wider scheme was designed to improve safety, tackle congestion and provide additional capacity to support housing and economic growth along the A12 corridor.
Its cancellation was followed by the loss of the proposed A120 dualling scheme, raising wider concerns about whether Essex is being expected to accommodate substantial growth without the strategic transport investment required to support it.
£212.5m Wasted As Vital A12 Upgrade Is Scrapped – While Lib Dems Plan Thousands More Chelmsford Homes
Seena Shah continued:
“You cannot plan infrastructure for one level of growth, cancel that infrastructure, and then carry on increasing the number of homes as though nothing has changed.
“The Liberal Democrats need to get practical about how people travel. Public transport is part of the answer, but pretending thousands of new residents won’t use cars is not a transport strategy.
“Chelmsford needs homes, but development must come with the roads, public transport, schools, healthcare and other infrastructure needed to make new communities work.”
