Paving the way for 2,000 homes

Borough: Plan would facilitate golf course development

The Borough Local Plan is expected to be adopted by councillors next week – paving the way for the council to push ahead with the highly-contentious Maidenhead Golf Course development.

The BLP includes the development of 2,000 homes on the golf course itself, with a further 600 on land to the south of Harvest Hill Road.

Plans would still need to be approved for the project, but the adoption of the BLP on Tuesday would be a major step towards the scheme becoming a reality.

Whilst opposition to the move has been consistently present throughout the BLP’s infancy, objectors have multiplied in number over recent years.

A petition against development – instead calling for a Maidenhead Great Park amassed 4,448 signatures, and was debated at an extraordinary meeting of the council in March last year.

Councillors in support of the BLP have repeatedly said the golf course will provide ‘much-needed family homes’, as well as ‘affordable homes, along with community facilities and green public open space’.

However, Debbie Ludford of the Maidenhead Great Park group, explained that the council would be destroying ‘this incredibly valuable asset held by the people of Maidenhead’.

“The Maidenhead Great Park group is opposed to the development of the golf

course because it will destroy wildlife habitats and take away our community’s biggest opportunity to take the steps required to mitigate climate change - tree planting, biodiversity enhancements, water storage and public open space to support mental and physical health and wellbeing,” said Debbie.

“The land was bought by the council in 1953 to protect it from development.

“Many local people are dismayed that despite the fact our council has declared a climate emergency and pledged to protect greenspace, they want to destroy this incredibly valuable asset held by the people of Maidenhead.”

Debbie added that the group believed the 2,000 new homes were not ‘muchneeded’ and added: “Our council is ignoring new Objectively Assessed Need figures published based on 2018 data which halves the projected number of new homes needed in our borough.

“Instead, they are doggedly sticking to the 2012 figures to create a case for building on the golf course.

“We don't believe we need the new homes and Maidenhead has already taken more than its fair share of housing in the borough over the course of the BLP term (2013-2033).”

Debbie added that, should the BLP be adopted, the group ‘will continue to do everything we can to raise awareness and take action to stop this environmentally damaging and unnecessary development’.

Cllr David Coppinger, lead member for planning, environmental services and Maidenhead, said he was ‘delighted’ following the announcement that the BLP had been returned to the Royal Borough last week.

He added: “This plan has been far too long in the making, and I am delighted that the inspector, after we made the major modifications which we were asked to do, has found it sound,” said Cllr Coppinger.

“Not only has she found it sound, but she has fully supported all of the very hard decisions we had to make. For example: Maidenhead Golf Course, where she quite clearly says that it was the right decision.

“I really feel for people that don’t appreciate it, but I can understand it. This is the only way we can ensure we get the right number of affordable houses for our growing population.

“You can’t expect everyone to live in a high rise flat in Maidenhead – people have every right to have a house and garden, and it’s only by using certain areas that we can do that.”

W Objectors to the Maidenhead Golf Course development are set to hold a protest outside of the town hall on Tuesday at 6pm.