£500m rebuild gets go-ahead
Planners back Nicholsons project despite height concerns
The Nicholsons Centre redevelopment is in danger of being too tall for Maidenhead, the town’s civic society has warned.
Martin McNamee, chairman of the group, added that although he welcomed developing the town centre, his society did have concerns over the height of buildings.
Hybrid proposals from developer Areli Real Estate to redevelop the shopping centre into hundreds of new apartments, offices and retail were approved unanimously at a Royal Borough planning panel last Wednesday.
But the Maidenhead Civic Society, which formally objected to the plans, feels that the development needs to be ‘scaled back’.
“We welcome the redevelopment of the town,” Martin said. “But there is going to be a total of about 3,500 flats [in Maidenhead], with all the other developments that are going on.
“We are a small market town, not a city. We would like to see it scaled back, in terms of the number of flats and height of the buildings.
“There is a desire to build higher and higher, just because other people have.” Martin also raised concerns over the lack of affordable housing, as well as a reduction in the number of car parking spaces in the new multi-storey car park.
Included in the plans is 30,000 square foot of office space, but questions have been asked about whether this is needed post-COVID.
But Councillor Andrew Johnson (Con, Hurley and Walthams), leader of the council, believes that this talk has been ‘greatly exaggerated’.
“Perhaps the office will change, but I think there is a strong demand for workers to return, not five days a week, but for a couple,” he said. “Talk of the demise of the office is greatly exaggerated.”
On the Nicholsons plans themselves, Cllr Johnson said he was confident that the 25-storey building would be acceptable for Maidenhead, given it got approval from planning officers and councillors.
“Of course, 25 storeys is a significant change, but overall, it will be a change for the better,” he said.
“I think the plans are appropriate for Maidenhead; they give us a glimpse of what town centre redevelopments could and should look like post-COVID.”
On affordable housing, the leader did stress that he wanted the developers to be offering this in future, if it is possible.
A legal mechanism is in place so that if developer profits rise, the provision of affordable housing will be reviewed.
Parking for residents is another issue, with significantly less parking spaces available compared to the number of flats.
Cllr Johnson said that he thinks there will be ‘adequate’ parking within Maidenhead, helped by developments including nearby Vicus Way, and claimed that ‘a lot of young buyers do not necessarily own a car, or want to’.
Rob Tincknell, partner at Areli Real Estate, said:
“This is a great result, not just for Maidenhead but for the entire UK.
“We are so pleased to have developed these plans in close co-operation with the community, and to have achieved such a positive unanimous vote is really encouraging.”
Multi-million pound plans to redevelop the Nicholsons Centre were given the green light, despite opposers dubbing the plans ‘Maidhatten’.
Proposals to tear down the shopping centre and build more than 600 new apartments, offices and public realm were approved unanimously by councillors at a Royal Borough planning meeting last week.
The hybrid plans from developer Areli Real Estate seek to design a complex of streets and zones called ‘Nicholson Quarter’.
The tallest building could reach up to 25 storeys – raising concern among some objectors, who felt that the development would be better fit ‘for Spider-Man to swing through'.
There will be 1,319 car parking spaces – including 700 public spots in a new multi-storey car park, and 104 spaces for 364 residential units – together with 116 for 307 retirement
apartments.
Head of planning at the Royal Borough, Adrien Waite, said the £500million proposals could create about 2,700 jobs.
But public speaker Andrew Hill felt that the development would be better suited as the location for a film plot.
“Do not build Maidhatten, a dark, high-rise town only fit for SpiderMan to swing through,” he said.
Mr Hill raised fears over the 25-storey building’s safety, claiming that the structure is ‘inconsistent with any democratically mandated plan’ – but planning officers countered that ‘the building has been subject to extensive revision’.
Referencing businesses, Mr Hill queried Areli’s plans to cut more than 50 per cent of the existing retail floor space, asking whether they would be happy to put their name to ‘potentially destroying 50 per cent of retail jobs’.
Other concerns centred around the development offering no affordable housing - however this will be subject to a later review.
Speaking in favour of the application, member of the public Madeline Wallace said: “People disembarking at Maidenhead [train station] have no encouragement to walk into the town centre.
“The Nicholson
Quarter redevelopment will change this, and restitch lost connections through the town. The plans open up so many possibilities; a place to live, do some work, and socialise.”
Areli partner Rob Tincknell added at the meeting on Wednesday, March 3 that the UK’s town centre’s are ‘in crisis’.
“Over 15 national retailers have left the town in the last 12 months. Income from the shopping centre has dropped by 80 per cent,” he said.
“However, we have an opportunity to do something truly exciting.
“Nicholson Quarter will be a fully integrated, mixed-use place that not only accords with planning policy but will transform central Maidenhead.
“And by using our town centre land, not only do we help meet the borough’s housing needs, but in turn help protect the spread into the greenbelt.”
Mr Tincknell added that homes have been designed ‘to support greater home working’ and will meet the ‘very strictest fire safety standards’.
On issues surrounding loss of retail floor space, the Areli partner said that there will be more shops than there are today, but they would be ‘smaller’ and ‘focused on the local market’.