First residents collect keys at York Road development

TOWN CENTRE: Scaffolding shrouding a York Road redevelopment has been taken down and the first residents have taken their keys to their new homes, a meeting heard last week.

At the Maidenhead Town Forum on Wednesday, March 31, it was revealed that the Countryside project – dubbed ‘Watermark’ – is scheduled to be completed fully by 2025.

The three-phase scheme – which has been underway since 2019 – will deliver 229 homes (30 per cent affordable) on the banks of Maidenhead riverside. Plans also include a new civic square and commercial space.

Managing director of the RBWM Property Company, Barbara Richardson, told the meeting that a ‘significant number of people’ will be moving into the first lot of private and affordable units over the coming days.

“You would have noticed that there is quite significant progress on this site and you can start seeing the buildings from phase one emerge,” Ms Richardson said.

“We have actually had some people taking their keys – I don’t think they have physically moved in but they certainly took their keys to their front door.

“There will be a significant number of people moving in, both in relation to the private units and the affordable units, over the next week.”

Ms Richardson added that Countryside had received ‘a huge amount of interest’ in Watermark and is ‘selling roughly four units a month’.

All affordable units within phase one have been sold.

“There are about 42 per cent sold at this stage of the entire project,” she said.