Chelmsford's Beaulieu Park railway station plans move a step closer

Beaulieu Park station in Chelmsford is expected to open in 2026

Plans for a city's new railway station have moved step closer after a council approved the next stage in the development.

Essex County Council agreed Beaulieu Park station in Chelmsford would now be fully designed and planned.

If it goes ahead, it will be the first new station on the Great Eastern mainline for more than 100 years.

It is hoped the station will open in 2026 and welcome more than two million passengers.

Essex County Council said it would watch the budget carefully as there were certain costs it was obliged to underwrite, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The project had been in danger of being abandoned before costs, estimated at about £171m at the beginning of the year, were reduced to £155m - largely by scrapping plans for a multi-storey car park.

The county council will also have to underwrite any operating deficits.

This risk is now considered lower as numbers for public transport show some recovery.

Beaulieu Park station has had £7m spent on it and £2m of the Housing Infrastructure Funding (HIF) from Homes England has been drawn down.

A £20.5m contribution from developers Countryside Zest and a £12m contribution from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership will also make up the funding.

The county council has admitted to the risk from "unfunded cost escalation", as it will have to bear the financial liability over increased costs.

Lesley Wagland, cabinet member for economic renewal, infrastructure and planning, said: "There will be particular attention paid to this contract in terms of its management, so we can ensure we do properly mitigate the risks and there will be opportunity for scrutiny to help us with that."