Large parts of city could be bulldozed for new homes

Developer Dominus said the plans presented an opportunity to "create a new riverside destination”

A large part of a city centre could be bulldozed to build 800 new homes and shops.

Developer Dominus said plans to demolish "most of the existing buildings” in the centre of Chelmsford, Essex, presented an "opportunity to revitalise the city centre and create a new riverside destination”.

Early drawings, released ahead of formal planning designs, made the area around Meadow shopping centre look "unrecognisable", the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said.

The designs showed about seven new blocks, between the surface Meadows car park, and the high street area, which included 15,000 square metres of retail space.

Chelmsford City Council leader, Stephen Robinson, welcomed the designs and said "the high street does need some investment".

An artist's impression of the development included a lot of retail space and seating

He said: “The council welcomes the fact there is a developer who is keen to redevelop the southern end of the high street which has become a bit less active.

"The focus of the high street has shifted to the north, since Bond Street opened, and the southern end of the high street does need some investment.”

The area around the Meadow shopping centre could look very different if plans progress