Local residents are invited to view and comment on the options for the Runwell hospital site in Essex.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which owns the site, has prepared a set of draft development proposals based on feedback from the first stage of consultation held in March and April this year.

An exhibition and workshop hosted by the HCA will take place on Thursday 14 June at Runwell Sports and Social Club from 12-6pm followed by workshops from 6.30-8pm. There will be further opportunities to view the options for the site at various unstaffed locations until Wednesday 4 July. Proposals for the site include the delivery of around 600 high-quality homes alongside transport improvements and community facilities. It is intended that this will lead to the regeneration of the wider parish.


Feedback from this round of consultation will be taken on board in the preparation of final development proposals which will form part of an outline planning application to be submitted by the HCA to Chelmsford Borough Council in the autumn.

Mike Goulding, Area Manager for the HCA, said: "We're keen to build on the excellent response we had to the first round of consultation and demonstrate how comments from local residents have so far informed our plans. We'll be going into more detail about specific elements of the scheme during this stage and presenting a series of options. People can have their say in a number of ways if they can't make it to the exhibition, such as logging on to the project website, and we look forward to hearing all their views."

The exhibition will focus on housing, the future of the existing buildings, community benefits including education and sports facilities and transport improvements. People who attend the workshop session on 14 June will discuss the proposals in small groups led by representatives of the HCA and its agencies.

Runwell is one of the HCA-owned sites released through the Accelerated Land Delivery (ALD) programme. Launched back in March 2011, ALD is part of the Government’s drive to speed up the rate at which new housing is developed on public land. These ‘accelerated sites’ have received Government funds for activities relating to gaining planning permission and marketing the site to housing developers.

(CD/GK)