PRoM - Vision for Maidenhead Town Centre - Executive Summary

Executive Summary

1.1 Maidenhead has its origins as a staging post based on the river crossing. Today the town centre finds itself at rather different crossroads. Locally there is a strong sense that the town centre is not fulfilling its potential and needs a clear direction and vision for the future. Externally, there are many new challenges and opportunities to be addressed.

1.2 This document sets out a vision and action plan for Maidenhead town centre. It has been commissioned by the Partnership for the Rejuvenation of Maidenhead (PRoM) in conjunction with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBMW). The vision is based on community and stakeholder engagement, the pursuit of sustainable development solutions, achieving high quality design in built form and public realm, and is founded in taking a comprehensive and holistic approach to the town centre and its environs.

1.3 The Vision has been prepared to establish the basis for coordinated development of the town over the next 20 years. An impressive "evidence base" already exists. This document introduces fresh thinking, crucially building in findings from key stakeholder consultation and best practice experience from around the UK and Europe. The document marks a new beginning for Maidenhead, which will help enable the town to secure the environment, facilities and services that the local community so badly want.

1.4 The resulting Vision is ambitious. It identifies and illustrates how the town can capitalise in its many opportunities. A key underlying theme is joining up the town so it is more permeable and enjoyable for people to move about. It combines this with visual statements, buildings and spaces that will help differentiate Maidenhead.

1.5 There is a commitment by the local community to address the issues that the centre faces and to promote change. The Vision will transform the perceptions of the town, improve accessibility, enhance the retail shopping experience, improve the quality of the physical environment and most importantly make the town centre a 'people place' where both residents and visitors wish to spend time.

1.6 The town centre has enormous potential and the ability to grow in a sustainable and dynamic way. This Vision builds on the inherent strengths of the town centre whilst identifying a number of major opportunities in enhancing the quality and character of the centre. The town centre can reclaim its share of the shopping market which is being lost to nearby towns and become an exciting place to relax and socialise as well as live and work. There is an obligation by both the Council, its partners and the local community to optimise change so that the town centre can achieve its potential and compete both locally and within the Thames Valley, benefiting the whole town.

1.7 The Vision identifies a number of strategic objectives and is supported by a series of actions which provide an indicative route map to enable delivery. Detailed work is now required to move the Vision forward. At the strategic level the Vision is intended to guide preparation of an overarching masterplan / development framework. At the site specific level, there is need to illustrate and appraise in detail the nature, scale and viability of particular proposals to ensure they are sustainable and commercially attractive projects.