New nursery granted permission in listed building despite civic society concerns

A disused former medical centre in a Grade II Listed building on Bridge Road is set to be transformed into a new nursery.

Windsor and Maidenhead council granted permission for internal changes at Bridgewater Lodge, 160 Bridge Road – formerly part of Bridge Clinic.

Bridgewater Lodge is a Grade II-listed building located within the Maidenhead Riverside Conservation Area.

The site has been vacant since December 2021. The former use as a medical clinic ceased and has been consolidated into 156 Bridge Road.

A change of use from a clinic to a nursery would not normally need planning permission, but this is a special case, because it is a listed building.

The application was made by NSS V (Properties 2) LLP, which is working with Kinderzimmer, the third-largest private early years education provider in Germany, providing care to more than 4,500 children.

Works are proposed to the area of hardstanding to the rear of the property to create 202m 2 of outdoor play area space.

There will be three baby rooms, two toddler rooms and two pre-school rooms.

The proposed nursery would accommodate 126 children aged three months to five years, and 20-30 part- and full-time staff.

It is likely to operate between 07.30am to 6.30pm during weekdays, 51 weeks of the year.

“Maidenhead is a growing town with a number of new developments either underway or planned within the town centre,” wrote Savills, representing the applicants.

“The [Borough] Local Plan identifies over 5,000 dwellings to be provided across … Maidenhead areas. This will inevitably give rise to the need for childcare places.”

Maidenhead Civic Society (MCS) objected to the proposal, writing in a letter:

“The proposal … will create a separate unit requiring access and egress from Guards Club Road – with all medical clinic traffic using the Bridge Road entrance.

“With 126 children and 30 staff on site, the vehicular traffic will be excessive - and two-way.

“Guards Club Road is too narrow to accommodate the likely level of two-way traffic and residents of the road will be severely inconvenienced.”

MCS disagreed with the traffic survey, which they called 'not realistic'.

Further, they felt that 14 parking spaces would be 'inadequate,' as well as the turning space.

However, RBWM did not list traffic, highways or parking as concerns in its determination.

As for the listed building consent, the application surrounds the demolition of the modern extension to the wall, rather than anything of historic value.

The play area and the reconfiguration of the existing car parkin would mainly affect the hardstanding at the site.

Thus, the proposals ‘would not result in further harm to the historic fabric or the heritage assets,’ concluded the council. Therefore, they approved the application.

See all plans with reference number 23/01848/LBC on RBWM’s online planning portal.