Bond Street – Chelmsford’s new 300,000 sq. ft. retail and leisure development – opened its doors on 29 September and has, arguably, already delivered a significant boost to the centre of the UK’s newest city by virtue of its very existence.
London and South East-based Aquila Developments have been involved in the Bond Street project from the very beginning, including throughout the site assembly and planning phases of the process. The fruit of their labour is a vibrant shopping environment, including 20 new retail units, riverside restaurants with outside seating, a new digital cinema and a 275 space underground carpark beneath anchor tenant John Lewis’ 120,000 sq. ft. department store, the first John Lewis store to open in Essex.
Other high-profile names that have opened at the development include Cath Kidston, Foyles, Jack Wills and Tag Heuer.
Tim Harrison, Director of Store Development at John Lewis, forecasts that Bond Street “will play a central role in Chelmsford’s future” and Tony Chambers, Chairman at Aquila Developments, describes the project as “a very positive endorsement of the city”. Research carried out on behalf of Aquila prior to commencement of the development suggests that Bond Street will see spending in Chelmsford increase by some 27%.
As for our view? If the sheer volume of people in and around the city centre during the first week of Bond Street’s being is anything other than a coincidence, it is difficult to see how these predictions are going to be anything other than spot on…
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