PLANS for a new road deemed integral in supporting thousands of new homes across north Chelmsford have been submitted.

The Northern Radial Distributor Road will pass through the northern part of the Chelmsford Garden Community, and will connect into the Chelmsford North East Bypass (CNEB) in the east of the site and Wheelers Hill and Essex Regiment Way to the west of the site.

The garden community, split over three separate development sites, is set to deliver at least 3,000 homes during the Chelmsford Local Plan period up to 2036, with a further 2,500 homes later, providing a minimum of 5,500 homes in total.

That plan is part of wider long term proposals for as many as 14,000 homes between Braintree and Chelmsford, supported by a new bypass and railway station at Beaulieu.

Developers say the plans will relieve congestion on Essex Regiment Way and the A131 White Hart Lane, and enable existing routes into Chelmsford city centre, such as Broomfield Road and Essex Regiment Way, to become sustainable transport corridors.

It will also make accessing the new Beaulieu station easier, reducing the need to travel into Chelmsford city centre. This will take vehicles out of the city centre each morning at peak times, helping to reduce pressure on the network.

The NRDR will also create better bus routes and provide easier access to the A12.

It will include reconfiguration of the existing roundabout at the junction of Wheelers Hill and Essex Regiment Way.

This will include the closure of the Wheelers Hill exit from the roundabout and a new junction created for the NRDR. The section of Wheelers Hill road between Essex Regiment Way and Wheelers Farm will be closed to traffic.

The NRDR includes the provision of a four-arm roundabout to the east of Essex Regiment Way and the realignment of Wheelers Hill road to provide a connection into the new roundabout.

A statement as part of a planning application to Chelmsford City Council said: “The proposed scheme has been identified as a much-needed route between the new Chelmsford North East Bypass and Wheelers Hill/Essex Regiment Way to assist in providing the necessary transport infrastructure for the Chelmsford Garden Community.

“The proposed scheme will provide effective relief of traffic on the existing road network (East Regiment Way and Boreham Road) and would reduce the volume of traffic passing through existing residential communities including down Domsey Lane.

“The proposed scheme will ensure the necessary transport infrastructure is available in advance of the delivery of the future Chelmsford Garden Community.”