Councillors agreed to ‘start conversations’ with residents about what Maidenhead United’s fresh plans to relocate from its historic York Road site could mean.
The Magpies have long been looking to move from their current ground to a new stadium at Braywick Park.
But in 2023, the council shut down the move after concerns over the loss of the public open space at the park.
At a Royal Borough cabinet meeting last night (Tuesday), Councillor Adam Bermange (Lib Dem, Boyn Hill) said the new proposals, which looked to address previous concerns, are ‘quite a transformation’.
Cllr Bermange said: “The new scheme does go quite a long way to addressing the core criticisms of the earlier plan.
“The ground would now be at the rear [of Braywick Park] and fans of the club, on match days, would actually access it not through the main entrance of Braywick Park …. but instead, they would actually access it from the car parking at Vicus Way.”
The club originally agreed, with the previous Conservative administration, to buy a nine-acre site at Braywick Park for £460,000, which translates to £460 a year over a 999-year lease.
But this time around, the football club is offering a total £2.5million ‘robust financial package’, Cllr Bermange added. Some of this money will be invested back into Braywick Park.
The new scheme is likely to include projects such as refurbishing the existing athletics track at Braywick, resurfacing some of the all-weather astroturf pitches, and improvements to the Braywick Nature Centre, according to the report.
Speaking at the York House meeting, ward councillor Helen Taylor (Ind, Oldfield) said some of the reasons the original plans were turned down are ‘still relevant’ and using Vicus Way is ‘not really the best solution’.
Cllr Taylor said: “Loss of open space is still a loss of open space, regardless of where the stadium is going to be located in Braywick Park.
“This is just wave after wave after wave of space being taken from those residents and it’s important to remember that this is general public open space that is available for all activities.
“The residents obviously are not happy to see this come forward again, the majority of people in Oldfield are just fed up of losing their open space.”
But she recognised the Magpies’ efforts to reduce the scale of the stadium and their contribution to the local community, which ‘cannot be understated in any way’.
She welcomed the consultation to get residents’ views and said the parking concerns can be looked at ‘further down the line’.
Cllr Simon Werner (Lib Dem, Pinkneys Green) and Cllr Karen Davies (Lib Dem, Clewer East) said they both voted against the original plans but that the new scheme is ‘much less intrusive on the park’.
Cllr Davies said: “I was very sceptical when these [new] plans first came forward but I’m really encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.”
Cllr Werner also made it clear that the cabinet was not agreeing to the move, rather to ‘starting conversations’ with the club and the public about a potential public space disposal.
In a statement following the meeting, Maidenhead United Football Club said the decision to progress to an open space disposal consultation was a ‘key milestone’ in the relocation plans.
The club’s chief executive, Jon Adams, said: “This decision recognises the importance of securing the club’s long-term future and the wider benefits this brings to the town.
“We have already engaged many local residents on our proposals and will continue to welcome feedback as the process moves forward.
“We would like to thank the council for its constructive and collaborative approach, and we remain committed to working positively with all stakeholders in the next stages.”
