Berkshire town has seen increased development in wake of Elizabeth line calling there
A hybrid planning application to turn a Maidenhead shopping centre into 856 new homes has been approved with some amendments following outline permission granted in 2021.
The plans for Nicholson Quarter submitted by London developer Areli will see the demolition of all but two existing buildings on the 1960s site to make way for four residential towers of 10,13,17 and 20 storeys alongside 55 new shops, bars and restaurants and a 10-floor carpark.
Designed by architect JTP, the updated £500m scheme has increased the number of new homes from 653, lowered the tallest building from 25 storeys and reduced the amount of office space provided in response to workplace changes caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
The new flats will have one and two bedrooms, with 101 ringfenced for later living housing. However, the provision of affordable housing was deemed financially unviable.
The Nicholson shopping centre, offices and 17 dwellings are set to be replaced and new public squares named Sir Nicholas Winton Public Square and Moffatt Square created.
Sir Nicholas Winton Square was named by local residents after a British banker who supervised the rescue of 669 children from Nazi Germany during the Second World War. He lived for much of his adult life in Maidenhead and was buried in the town after his death in 2015.
Final approval is subject to a Section 106 agreement, with work due to start in the new year.
Maidenhead, which is on the Elizabeth line in the west, has seen heightened building activity in recent years.
The first phase of One Maidenhead, designed by Studio Egret West and previously known as the Landing, has been completed and includes a new public square, retail and 429 homes.
A six-storey, timber-framed building, designed by Waugh Thistleton, is also part of the wider One Maidenhead development.
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