Work begins at ‘prime’ location
Maidenhead: Building starts at old leisure centre site
Maidenhead’s regeneration has taken another step forward as construction begins on 434 new homes.
Building has begun on Countryside Partnerships and the Royal Borough’s £150million St Cloud Way regeneration scheme, expected to complete in 2029.
Countryside’s plans to overhaul the former leisure centre and ten-pin bowling site into new homes were approved at a meeting in December 2021.
In August last year, it was recommended that the council sell the St Cloud
Way site to Countryside for a minimum land value of £15.75million.
This was nearly £11million less than what the land was valued at in December 2020 – the value had plummeted by millions in less than two years.
Most of demolition of the former Magnet Leisure Centre is now complete, along with the removal of the footbridge over St Cloud Way is now complete.
There will be 351 new homes in a mix of houses, apartments and maisonettes – of which 87 will be affordable (33 for affordable rent and 54 for shared ownership).
The second phase includes the redevelopment of the former Ten Pin Bowling site for 83 new private sale homes.
These homes are expected to launch for sale in 2024 from the marketing suite, which will be located on site.
In total, more than 8,500sqm of outdoor amenity space is set to come with the development.
New on-site parking spaces will be provided at the development, 20 per cent with electric vehicle charging points and the remaining 80 per cent having future electric car charging capability.
Three on-site car club spaces will also be created and 455 secure cycle parking spaces.
The St Cloud Way footbridge will be replaced with a pedestrian crossing on St Cloud Way.
The development will generate over £1million of Section 106 contributions, which will fund wider community improvements, enhancements to local play spaces and transport and access improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
The partners say construction will support 213 jobs per month and the new homes are expected to create up to £13.4million in commercial expenditure per annum.
Council leader Andrew Johnson broke the first ground on the development on Thursday, March 16.
He said: “This transformative £150million investment is bringing a prime brownfield site back into use, delivering much-needed new homes, alongside wider community and infrastructure investment, that will boost the town centre.”