To the west of Chelmsford’s central hub, spanning both north and south of the River Can, is the main suburban enclave of Chelmsford’s locale. Dotted with large-scale detached properties ranging upwards of £600,000, this area is highly desirable and sought-after due to its proximity to the Chelmsford Rail station which runs directly to London, and the lustrious green-space that flanks its western edge. With its ancient history and legacy of affluence, the county town of Chelmsford has remained one of the central hubs of the county of Essex.

Chelmsford originates from the valley of the River Chelmer, to which archaeological evidence dating back to nearly 2,500 BC dictates very early human settlement in the area. It was then occupied during the Roman invasion of Britain, where the town of Chelmsford was known as ‘Caesaromagus’, meaning ‘Caesar’s Market’. After the Roman evacuation of Britain in around 410 AD, Chelmsford disappeared. It wasn’t until the Saxon occupation that the locale of Chelmsford picked up again, and was designated into a market charter town in 1199 by King John, following a petition from the then Bishop of London. The western edge of Chelmsford is separated by the River Can, which now acts within the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation canal route. However, the River Can was first bridged in 1100 AD, which restored a former Roman Road that travelled through this locale!

After the market charter Chelmsford garnered unique success as an essential trading hub, and soon became the central city in Essex. Despite this, the population was rested at around 3,000 for many centuries, until the 19th century when the population of the city quadrupled! The advent of the railway in Chelmsford by 1843 and other industrious enterprises brought more and more people into the city to settle. One such enterprise was ran by Guglielmo Marconi, who opened the first radio factory in Britain at Chelmsford in 1899!

Due to the affluence of Chelmsford, many properties in the urban and western stretch of the city are expensive. However, much of the central and western Chelmsford has been under review by the Chelmsford Local Plan, pitched by the Chelmsford Council in late 2023. Over the whole of Chelmsford, an estimated 3,600 new dwellings are set to be built across the city; with an approximately 800 new dwellings to be constructed specifically in the Chelmsford West locale! This plan also includes provisions for a new neighbourhood centre and childcare nurseries.