Council rejects plans for bridge over Town Moor

Controversial plans for a bridge over the Town Moor in Maidenhead were rejected by councillors last night in favour of a flood plan.

Badnells Pit developers Shanly Homes unusually submitted two applications to the Royal Borough - the first was for a pedestrian escape bridge across the moor between Blackamoor Lane and the police station.

The second application seeked permission for the St Mary's Park development to proceed without a bridge and instead the developers would draw up and fund a Flood Management Plan.

Given the widespread opposition to the bridge over the moor, councillors unanimously agreed to scrap the proposed structure.

Cllr Simon Dudley (Con; Riverside) said: "We have a situation where we're going to have an ugly structure here in a very lovely location, which would be spoiling what is held in great regard by local residents - the town moor."

"In my opinion it's there for an extremely unlikely occurrence," he added. "It doesn't seem to satisfy the common sense test."

Shanly Homes planning consultant Kevin Scott said the cost of the bridge would have been around £150,000, some of which could instead go towards community initiatives, such as providing a link to the Maidenhead Waterways project.

The panel refused the bridge and approved the proposal for a flood plan. Permission must be gained from the Secretary of State because the lack of an escape route will deviate from the original condition imposed on the site.