‘Squeezed out’ of home in the town
Borough: Call to stop community centre being ‘kicked out’
A petition to stop Maidenhead Community Centre from being ‘kicked out’ of its current site and ‘left in limbo for years’ has now collected more than 1,000 signatures.
The Royal Borough’s plan is to move Maidenhead Community Centre from its 5,650sqft building in York Road to the 2,700sqft Desborough Suite at Maidenhead Town Hall, as a new temporary location for the next three years.
The community centre is being relocated to make way for the 229-home Watermark development.
In March, a petition to stop the move to this ‘inadequate’ temporary space reached 500 signatures. It has since doubled that to more than 1,000.
The community centre supporters halted the promotion of the petition in the wake of the pandemic. Now, with a deadline of September 4, Maidenhead Community Centre is again calling on residents to sign, with an aim to reach
1,500 signatures so the issue can be debated by the full council.
Community centre trustee Jack Douglas said: “The problem for us is that we still might get knocked down in October with no adequate re-provision, so we can’t just wait.”
The Royal Borough did make a relocation offer to the leaseholder, Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), and Maidenhead Community Centre on March 30.
However, Mr Douglas said that the centre cannot consider an offer until they receive more details about the lease and what powers it will involve.
Mr Douglas said: “We replied asking for more information in April. We have heard nothing at all since.”
Mr Douglas feels that community centres in general are being ‘squeezed out of the town centre’, and stressed the need for at least some remaining centres for those without the facility to drive out of town.
“The worst affected are those who don’t have busy working lives — the retired, the unemployed or long-term sick, disabled or depressed, those estranged from family,” he said.
Dean Yorke, a fellow trustee, added: “It is very unfortunate that community centres are not a higher priority in new town planning, whilst high street retail is on the economic downturn.
“The popularity of community centres will always be there and has no reason to fail, apart from having closure or bad relocation offers forced on them.”
A spokesman from the Royal Borough said: “We will respond formally if the petition receives the number of signatures required for it to be discussed at full council. A relocation offer has been made to both the leaseholder, Royal Voluntary Service, and Maidenhead Community Centre who occupy the centre.”
The petition for Maidenhead Community Centre can be found at https://petitions. rbwm.gov.uk/save-the-centre2/