Developer Countryside and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, are set to begin redevelopment works at their St Cloud Way regeneration scheme, marking another milestone in the regeneration of Maidenhead town centre.
The St Cloud Way redevelopment of the former Magnet Leisure Centre and Ten Pin Bowling sites will deliver a total of 434 much-needed new homes in two phases, with a mix of houses, apartments and maisonettes, including 33 affordable rent and 54 shared ownership homes. Every home will benefit from private outdoor space through a private garden, balcony or terrace, in addition to podium gardens for residents and beautifully landscaped surrounding areas. In total, over 8,500 sq m of outdoor amenity space is set to be delivered across the development.
The first phase of the St Cloud Way redevelopment comprises the demolition of the former Magnet Leisure Centre, removal of the footbridge over St Cloud Way and construction of 351 new homes including 87 affordable homes. The second phase includes the redevelopment of the former Ten Pin Bowling site (currently being used for temporary car parking) for 83 new private sale homes. Once hoardings are fully in place and site setup is complete, demolition and site clearance are expected to take about three months to carry out.
The footbridge is now closed to the public and it is expected to be removed at the end of October. This will be replaced with a pedestrian crossing on St Cloud Way, part of the Council’s measures to improve connectivity across the site, which also include the delivery of the new ‘Missing Links’ cycle route and improvements to the existing subway that will provide safe and inclusive access into the town centre.
New on-site parking spaces will be provided at the development, 20% incorporating active electric vehicle charging points and the remaining 80% having future electric car charging capability. Three on-site car club spaces will also be created, building on the launch of Maidenhead’s first car club last year at Watermark. 455 secure cycle parking spaces will be delivered to support sustainable transport measures.
While the leisure centre car park closed permanently to the public in July, most of the Ten Pin car park remains for use by permit holders and The Wilderness Medical Centre, with access from St Cloud Way/exit onto Cookham Road being maintained.
The development will generate over £1m of Section 106 contributions, which will fund wider community improvements, enhancements to local play spaces and transport and access improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.
Daniel King, Managing Director, West London & Thames Valley, Countryside, said: “With our Watermark regeneration scheme on York Road moving towards completion, we are excited to begin delivering on the vision for St Cloud Way, which will be revitalised with 434 high-quality new homes, new outdoor spaces and improved connectivity to the town centre. With the plans for the site shaped by extensive consultation with the local community and stakeholders, we are looking forward to bringing our second regeneration site in Maidenhead to life, in partnership with the Royal Borough.”
Councillor Andrew Johnson, the council leader, said: “St Cloud Way is the next exciting investment that we’re driving forward with Countryside as part of our wider regeneration ambitions for Maidenhead town centre, supporting new homes, jobs, further investment and facilities that are benefitting the community and boosting the area’s vibrancy.
“With leisure facilities now provided at our state-of-the-art Braywick Leisure Centre, St Cloud Way will help meet local housing needs for our community and this start of on-site activity is a huge milestone, heralding the start of demolition and clearance, making way for this much-anticipated and much-needed new development that people will see rise behind the hoardings.”
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Countryside formed the Royal Borough Development Partnership in 2017 to deliver residential-led high-quality regeneration of four town centre sites in Maidenhead. With the first phase of the York Road regeneration scheme, known as Watermark, almost complete, Saint Cloud Way is the second and largest of these placemaking opportunities.