Plans in for 215 homes south of Harvest Hill Road

Plans are in for land south of Harvest Hill Road in Maidenhead, off Kimbers Lane – which forms part of the ‘South West Maidenhead’ development area.

The existing site covers approximately 8.52 hectares, currently used as a golf driving range and is located to the south of Maidenhead and to the north of the A308(M).

The land has been earmarked for development in the Borough Local Plan, and forms part of the 'South West Maidenhead' development area covering the golf course and surrounding green spaces.

Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd is looking to pitch in 215 homes, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom houses.

Affordable housing will make up 30 per cent of these, across a range of flats and houses, including social rent and affordable rents plus shared ownership.

The breakdown of this is 23 one-beds (12 affordable); 62 two-beds (20 affordable); 112 three-beds; (17 affordable); 11 four-beds (six affordable); and seven five-beds.

The scheme also aims to provide eight self-build plots.

Affordable dwellings are to be evenly spaced in small clusters dotted around the site.

Development ranges from one to four storeys in height. The applicant says the council’s Tall Building SPD (draft) – which gives guidelines for where tall buildings can go – supports up to four storeys there.

The site is being divided into two character areas – along the ‘green spine’, where building heights are expected to be 2.5 to four storeys; and the central zone, expected to host two-three storey properties.

These areas are to be located centrally in smaller pockets of housing, typically semi-detached and terraces.

These areas will include courtyard and frontage parking arrangements, with smaller front gardens.

All apartments will include private amenity space in the form of balconies or terraces.

There will also be ‘open space suitable for the whole community’ and ‘general public open space’ including ‘a range’ of equipped play areas for children of all ages.

For the roads, a single access into and out of the site is planned off Harvest Hill Road, with a separate four-metre cycle and pedestrian entry.

Much has been made previously about the ‘green spine’ running through the golf course site, which will go from the open space in the south through to Harvest Hill Road.

A landscaping scheme will retain the majority of existing hedges and trees and ‘significantly soften’ the proposed development area.

“The vast majority of the site comprises species-poor semi-improved grassland, which is of little ecological interest,” wrote Taylor Wimpey.

Instead, to boost biodiversity, it is proposing hedgehog highways, bat boxes, bird boxes and invertebrate features.

To see all plans, see reference 23/00511/FULL in the Borough’s planning portal.