12:41PM, Thursday 01 November 2012
Vibrant plans to transform a waterside area of the town centre into a 'little Venice' are ready for council consideration.
Shanly Homes has submitted much anticipated planning applications for the £100m Chapel Arches development to the Royal Borough.
It features 240 new apartments and more than 3,000 square metres of retail, restaurant and office space.
Kevin Scott, planning consultant for Shanly Homes, said: "We believe these proposals represent a wonderful opportunity to deliver an attractive, mixed-use scheme."
Chapel Arches has been designed to complement Maidenhead Waterways Restoration Group's plan to enhance the town's existing water channels, which has already been given the green light by the council.
"It will provide a magnificent new public area either side of the waterways scheme which will see a rejuvenated York Stream bringing life, activity and excitement to the new town centre," Mr Scott added.
Restaurant terraces will allow for outdoor seating along the edge of the stream, which is set to be adapted to allow small boats to pass through.
Inspiration for the development includes Camden Lock in London and the Kingston-upon-Thames river front.
The proposals span three sites including the old cinema plot in Bridge Avenue, Copthall House in St Ives Road, and parts of The Colonnade, Crown Lane and the High Street.
These form part of a wider area identified for potential redevelopment under the council's Area Action Plan.
Bob Dulson, chairman of the Partnership for the Regeneration of Maidenhead (PRoM), said on first impressions the project looks 'really exciting'.
"It could transform the eastern approach to the High Street, using the waterway to create a 'little Venice on Thames', and provide a vital boost for town centre regeneration," he added.
The initial applications are for listed building consent and outline planning permission.
Decisions are due by January.
Full designs would need to be submitted if the council gives the scheme the go ahead.
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