A new riverside retail and leisure destination at the heart of Chelmsford’s city centre.
Client Bowmer and Kirkland
Project Role Executive Architecture
Scale 300,000 sq. ft
Status Complete
For years, the redevelopment of Bond Street had been a long held ambition for Chelmsford City Council. Positioned at the centre of the city and alongside the River Chelmer, the site represented a major opportunity to strengthen Chelmsford’s position as a leading retail and leisure destination in Essex.
Our client, Aquila, set out to create a vibrant mixed use quarter that would bring open air shopping, riverside dining, cinema, and generous public space together in one cohesive development. The challenge was to deliver commercial strength at scale while responding sensitively to the city’s heritage and urban grain.
We led the architectural and technical delivery of the 300,000 sq ft scheme, building on our early involvement supporting Bowmer and Kirkland through tender, design review, and value engineering.
Our approach balanced creativity with rigour. We helped shape a development anchored by John Lewis and designed to attract leading high street brands, including Monsoon and The White Company. Open streets and public spaces reconnect the city to its riverside, encouraging people to move, dwell, and gather. As lead designers, we coordinated all consultant and specialist subcontractor information through a central BIM model, ensuring clarity, buildability, and programme certainty across a complex mixed-use scheme.
Bond Street has redefined Chelmsford’s city centre experience. The development brings new life to the riverside, supports local business, and strengthens the city’s regional draw. It is a commercially successful destination shaped around people, movement, and everyday urban life.
