Car park and café may be developed for housing

WINDSOR:A car park and café on the river front in Windsor could be redeveloped for housing in the future after the owners of the site put the land up for sale, writes Grace Witherden.

Bray Fox Smith has been appointed by the owners of the land where Castle Car Park and the Mammia Mia café currently stands to sell the site with offers being considered in excess of £10million.

The land is 0.83 acres and a pre-application meeting has been held with the Royal Borough to demonstrate the site’s redevelopment potential.

Two indicative schemes have been put forward, one for 55 units over three to four-storeys with flexible commercial floorspace and another scheme with 77 residential units over five-storeys.

The scheme could also provide a public car park in the basement if required as well as a ground level car parking for residents.

The brochure drawn up by Bray Fox Smith Ltd and Montagu Evans states: “Pre-application discussions and a meeting with the council has yielded a positive written response.

“The indicative schemes have been carefully designed so that is in keeping with the surrounding developments which are arranged up to six storeys.”

It adds that it does not ‘overbear’ existing residential homes and does not ‘encroach’ or any sight lines towards Windsor Castle.

No plans have been submitted to the Royal Borough’s planning department. Rob Bray from Bray Fox Smith told the Express the land had just gone on the market and was being sold by a private family. He said they would look to sell the site before Christmas.

He said the new owners did not have to go through with the indicative scheme and could prepare their own.

The leases of the café and car park both expire in 2025 but the site owners are able to give the tenants six month notice to leave once the site is sold.