Viewpoint: Objection stands over Nicholsons parking plan

Few winners in these anti-democratic stakes

‘Not fit for purpose’ headlines last week’s Advertiser report on the licensing policy review.

‘Just one person showed up,’ me!

If the new policy was a horse, it would be put down.

Easy to see, unless you are from licensing, who drafted it, and the panel who unanimously approved it. But I expected that, so what’s the drama?

Invited by RBWM to speak, I gave up my Monday evening.

As a racing commentator, I compressed critical democratic questions.

Why was my 16-page detailed evidenced based named submission, the only one from the entire 120,000 RBWM voting population, withheld from panel scrutiny?

Why, when policy requires inputs from ‘resident representatives’, weren’t parishes consulted?

Why was a licence granted for a rock concert for 13 hours every day of the year in the heart of a village with no noise limits and never reviewed?

The panel and public would not know these points if I hadn’t ‘turned up’.

A three-horse race in the anti-democratic stakes was off.

Not at Windsor or Ascot but the council chamber.

Democratic services weren’t shocked, no comments, just hell bent on interrupting and stopping me after three minutes.

Discretion was not forthcoming, after all there was just lonely me with anything revealing and justified.

Perhaps that’s it, what else would I have exposed? Gosh, I overran 30 seconds, off with his head.

Surely the councillor panel were indignant at the exposures.

“I would have been more comfortable receiving even a summary of the guest speaker’s submission.”

How polite. One member clearly hadn’t even read the documents asking for clauses already in the new policy.

Licensing ducked and dived.

A long pregnant pause on why my evidence was missing with a failed bailout from an online Mystic Meg incoherently waffling about GDPR.

Eleven days of disturbing concert set up and early hours dismantling dismissed as ‘not my problem gov, we do music and booze’.

Offering to summarise my input, but only after the voting horse had bolted.

All three joint winners.

However, there was another runner, lame at the off. All of you.

Democracy is about actively saying your bit, offering advice and evidence to change poor policy.

Am I really the only resident to be disturbed by poor licensing and enforcement, willing to spend a few hours commenting in depth?

Is the Apathy Party the new stallion?

The July 7 meeting is on the RBWM YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, welcome to your 2026, five-year ‘disturbance’ policy. Odds are two to one on it’s not what you asked for.

PAUL STRZELECKI

Berries Road

Cookham

I want my streets to be as clean as Windsor

We recently enjoyed the sight of pageantry and splendor of a state visit a royal occasion celebrated in our twin town Windsor.

The same council is responsible for both towns, who recently had an increase in the council tax.

The difference is visible to all – I mean the cleaning of the streets and footpaths.

When you compare Maidenhead you can see the cleaning is somewhat lacking.

We have dirty pavements and pedestrian underpasses which are only litter-picked, leaving behind detritus which stays there for years. Some gets blown around but it is always left.

Cobwebs hang from the ceilings never swept.

Shopping area steps are never swept, and detritus is left to build up and cause slippery surfaces when wet.

Litter bins in out of town shopping areas are emptied and any spillage is normally left.

I am sure councillors must shop out of town so they do not see the mess building up.

I pay my council tax and I want my streets to be as clean as those in Windsor.

Come on council, where are your inspectors – or don’t you have any?

The contractor obviously does not carry out inspections.

There are NO inspections on refuse collections because they still empty one bin into another and any spillage is left on the roadway.

My advice – take away the litter-picker and issue brooms with instructions on how to correctly use them.

Come on residents, do you want a clean town?

If so, lobby your councillors.

Mr W D CHERRY

Norfolk Road

Maidenhead

Considering options to boost voter turnout

Martin Richardson (Viewpoint, July 11) draws attention to the increasingly lower turnout at elections.

Perhaps to increase this, a given percentage of the electorate must vote to validate the result.

I suggest that 60 per cent of the electorate in a constituency must record a vote. Universal suffrage was very hard won by our ancestors and just because you do not have to vote, it does not mean you should not.

The alternative is a mandated obligation to vote as is the case in Australia.

DIANE HAYES

Hearne Drive

Holyport

No mention for 1969 Wimbledon winner

In his piece about Wimbledon (Opinion, July 11) Gavin Ames should have mentioned Ann Jones, the ex-Birmingham grammar schoolgirl, who won the title in 1969.

BARBARA WITHERINGTON

Parkside

Maidenhead

Objection stands over Nicholsons parking plan

Maidenhead Civic Society have been expressing serious concerns about the significantly reduced level of parking provision in the current Nicholson Quarter planning application.

As a result of our objections Will Robinson of Areli requested a meeting to explain the rationale.

It transpires that the reduced parking provision has been agreed with RBWM.

The Borough believe that there is an overprovision of parking in the town with significant under utilisation of Hines Meadow MSCP.

This is of course partly driven by the parlous state of the town centre – partly caused by uncertainty regarding Nicholsons.

To date we have lost three surface car parks to development – Magnet, Town Hall and St Ives Road.

A further four surface car parks will be lost in time – West Street, Grove Road, the temporary Broadway site and the old Bowling Club on York Road (which although not public parking is still going to be displaced when the site is developed)

The proposed public parking provision of around 100 spaces (of which 21 are Blue Badge) is grossly inadequate.

If it is believed that the town centre is genuinely going to be rejuvenated when the Nicholson Quarter is delivered then Hines Meadow MSCP will not suffice – even if upgraded.

If this application reflects the Borough's thinking on town centre parking, then the Borough need to think again.

MARTIN MCNAMEE

Chair, Planning Group

Maidenhead Civic Society

Wasting money on an unnecessary project

I am one of the residents of the Bray/Oldfield area of Maidenhead that must be totally dismayed by the ongoing saga of the gold-plated Holyport roundabout on the A308 Windsor Road.

This has caused months of traffic delays in the area when trying to get to Windsor from Maidenhead (or vice versa).

What is worse the sheer scale of the roundabout works appears totally out of proportion to the need at the junction.

This huge £1.3million scheme has been designed incorrectly and has caused huge congestion issues in the area.

We didn’t need this scheme.

The cost imposed upon us by Cllr Josh Reynolds MP and his Liberal Democrat administration is a waste of taxpayers’ money.

What is even worse is that this is being overseen by Cllr Geoff Hill (an Oldfield councillor so this directly impacts the people who elected him) who I had to remove from the RBWM cabinet in 2017.

Here he is again popping up and working his magic on our highways.

I see people mention that this is being paid for through this or that pot of available money. As if this money is free and just drops from the sky.

This is totally wrong.

All money is taxpayers’ money (your money). Paid for by yours and my taxes.

It would have been far better not to spend this money and reduce the mounting debts of RBWM or our spiralling national debts.

However here comes the truth.

When the Liberal Democrats put up our taxes by 9 per cent this year (and they are begging Angela Rayner MP to do it again next year) this was always going to happen.

They wont fix the potholes, cut the grass, empty the litter or dog waste bins, remove graffiti, pick up litter or mend bent streetlights and signs.

They will embark on unnecessary vanity projects like this roundabout. Wasting our money.

The more tax they take from us the more they will waste.

SIMON DUDLEY

Former Riverside councillor and leader of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
 

Empty waiting rooms and missing doctors

James Aiden’s letter in last week’s Viewpoint (July 11) made me chuckle, especially the last part about looking at other patients in the waiting room.

In my doctors, and I think this is true of many other surgeries, you’ll be the only person in the waiting room.

On the last three occasions I have been to my surgery I’ve got there slightly early to make sure I can find a parking space.

I’ve sat in the waiting room for approximately 20 minutes, and have been the only person there, except for one time when a young chap came in to ask about repeat prescriptions.

When the receptionist eventually appeared, he was told ‘We don’t deal with paper anymore you have to do it online’.

If there are no patients there are no doctors.

Should you happen to walk down the corridor at my surgery past the doctors’ rooms they are all empty, so where are all the doctors?

I suspect they are all working from home.

Since before Covid we were coerced to have telephone appointments, then through Covid it was compulsory.

Quite how a doctor can properly judge what your problem is over the phone is beyond me.

As for the e-Consult website, I’m quite sure a 10-year-old could have put together a better system.

Regarding immigration affecting the A&E crisis, go to Wexham Park A&E any day of the week, if you are white English you’ll be in a minority.

I recently had to attend Heatherwood for some tests, apart from a couple who were also in the waiting area, we were the only English people there.

It makes me a little bit cross when people steadfastly refuse to see the wood for the trees.

KEITH CHAPMAN

Cornwall Close

Maidenhead

Thanks, Jo, for a great first year of singing

On behalf of the Tuesday Singers I would like to thank our conductor and accompanist, Jo Hutchins, for a great first year of singing with her.

She is encouraging us to listen to each other as we sing, so as to really make us sound like one. Also there are such fun warm-ups to do .

Where does she find so many different tongue twisters!? When we entertain groups in the area she enchants them with many surprises.

At the end of July we shall be breaking for a well deserved rest for Jo!

When we start again in September it would be delightful to welcome any other ladies who are free on Tuesday mornings, to meet for rehearsal at St Mark's Methodist Church, Maidenhead, SL6 5BQ at 10am prompt. For information ring Margaret on 01494 443464.

Thank you again Jo. We are looking forward to our autumn concerts with you .

JUDITH INMAN

Marlow