Mixed reviews on application to redevelop Maidenhead Office Park site

A revised application to redevelop the Maidenhead Office Park has received mixed reviews – with many still concerned about HGV movements and impact on traffic.

In May, an application was submitted to the Royal Borough by Ascot House Maidenhead Limited outlining revised plans to demolish the existing buildings at the site to create new employment buildings with a surface car park and other amenities.

In September 2023, controversial proposals to turn the site into a logistics hub were voted down by the Royal Borough’s development management committee following concerns over aspects such as the amount of HGV movements.

The decision was taken to appeal by Anglesea Capital LLP, but following the public inquiry, the Planning Inspectorate decided to dismiss the proposals in July 2024.

Now, while some have welcomed the revised proposals as an improvement, concerns continue to be voiced over the amount of HGV movements.

In comments on the planning portal, Burchetts Green Village Association (BVGA) chair Irene Jordan objected to the application and said residents are ‘deeply concerned about the impact of the additional traffic, noise and environmental damage’ the development would cause to the village and surrounding greenbelt areas.

She added that the association appreciates the stakeholder engagement undertaken by the applicant in advance.

“The BVGA is not against the development in principle, however, we do have deep concerns regarding the still excessive levels of HGVs another other commercial vehicles proposed from the site and its local impact.”

Danielle Werakso, who lives near to the Maidenhead Office Park site, objected to the revised plans, stating that the overall general feeling was ‘one of disappointment’.

She said: “We had genuinely hoped the owners would come back with a revised proposal that moved away from the use of HGVs, thereby reducing the impact on the local villages as a whole and particularly on the residents living along the affected roads.”

Ms Werakso said that there have already been ‘several accidents’ at the Westacott Way roundabout in the ‘past months’, and introducing a ‘large volume of HGV and commercial traffic, as proposed’, will only increase these risks’.

There are broader concerns over the ‘potential diversion of increased traffic’ through Burchetts Green.

Hurley Parish Council said it was ‘happy with the scheme’ in relation to the design and layout, but ‘remains concerned about traffic generation’.

Royal Borough councillor George Blundell (Lib Dem, Hurley and Walthams), said: “I’m still very conscious about traffic movement and the effect it will have on the local community and that needs to be scrutinised properly in the planning committee.

“It’s an improvement, but there’s still going to be a lot of traffic movements, a lot of HGVs – not as many as last time probably, but there’s definitely scope that it could be.”

A spokesperson for Ascot House Maidenhead Limited, said: “Anglesea Capital have listened and learnt from the concerns raised at the appeal.

“The new application addresses those concerns in terms of the layout, the size, and architectural design of the new employment campus, as seen in the image.

“The new scheme, with its many different sizes of units, reflects the lack of supply in the borough and the known demand, especially from local companies requiring modern space and working environment.

“A positive result of the change to the layout and mixture of unit sizes is there is a substantial reduction in the amount of traffic movements, particular HGVs from the original submission.

“This has been welcomed by the local parish councils and the highway authority.

“We have been working proactively with all the local parish councils, councillors and residents’ associations to create an employment campus that meets the needs of local companies, creates new employment and reenergises a failed business

park.”

The application will be coming before the Maidenhead Development Management Committee on Thursday, September 18, the spokesperson said.