Viewpoint: Redevelopment plan for Nicholsons 'the best hope for the future'

Vibrant Maidenhead is now just a ghost town

Upon walking around Maidenhead town centre, and also its fringes I start to wonder what on earth is going on with this town.

While quite possibly never the best place for clothes shopping, even back in the day it was still possible to purchase clothes! It was also possible to buy most other things from a myriad of shops.

We had three nightclubs including Skindles on the outskirts of town, numerous lively bars — almost too many to choose from, in fact; traditional cafes, independent shops, record shops, and the cinema even boasted audiences of more than three people. The atmosphere was vibrant.

Going further back, we sported both an open air, and indoor swimming pool situated next to one another… and even an ice rink back in the mists of time.

All I see now is a ghost town in the making, The Landing project was supposed to be a town regeneration of shops and bars, but so far is just towering Soviet ‘Brutalism-style’ architecture at its worst, with the ugly black fence/advertising hoardings being in place for as long as I can remember. Indeed this architectural theme is commonplace around Maidenhead nowadays.

There seems an obsession with either levelling or moving things out of town, depending on presumably, whether they’re deemed necessary or not — two actual examples in that order being the King George VI club for the elderly and Desborough Bowls Club.

If you need a haircut, or a fast food meal almost 24/7, Maidenhead is your place.

Not bad either for anyone wishing or able to purchase a property in this overpriced area, or go and have their eyes tested, buy a mobile phone or a greeting card.

Banking, buying a pair of trousers or a dress? Good luck with that!

I can’t see the situation changing, only getting worse on the face of it with M&S closing, charity shops closing, more pubs closing, the lifeblood of the town closing.

Where once there was fun, laughter, sociability, and buoyancy in the town, now stands grim blocks of ‘affordable’ housing.

Where will it end?

Tony Beck

Frogmill Spinney

Hurley

We can go forward with new confidence

Thursday’s approval of the Nicholsons redevelopment has, understandably, prompted strong reactions especially from residents who remember the town centre in its prime. I grew up in Maidenhead as well, so I completely understand the attachment many people feel towards the Nicholsons Centre and the memories tied to it.

But we must also be honest about where the town is today. The centre has struggled for years. Shops have been closing, footfall has declined and several businesses have already been given notice to leave in the new year because trading there is no longer sustainable.

Doing nothing was never a realistic option.

Importantly, the principle of redeveloping this site including taller buildings and replacing the shopping centre was already approved in 2022. That decision still stands.

What the committee considered last week was whether the new proposal offered something better and more deliverable than the existing approved scheme. In my view, it clearly does.

One major improvement is that the new 500-space Pineapple car park will now be fully funded and delivered by the developer.

Under the previous deal, local taxpayers would have had to pay for a car park costing well over £50million today. That burden has now been removed.

The committee’s approval was also unanimous across all political groups and Independents, which tells me the planning balance was clear.

This decision allows us to move forward, not backwards, and gives Maidenhead a real opportunity to rebuild confidence in its town centre.

Cllr Gurch Singh

(Lib Dem, St Mary’s)

RBWM Business Champion

Redevelopment plan is best hope for future

I spoke in support of the proposals for the Nicholson’s Centre redevelopment at the RBWM meeting last week. I think they represent the best hope for the town at this juncture, and the alternative – the centre being boarded up for five years till the next developer decides to take a risk – is a terrible prospect.

As we have seen from the new developments at Chapel Arches, regeneration can bring great opportunities.

I’m also glad to see that this has put the spotlight on improving the existing local car parks – I know people who refuse to use Hines Meadow because they find it so awful.

Andrew Ingram

Maidenhead

Ray Mill sculpture far more than just art

I am writing with a warm heart to acknowledge and celebrate the restoration of the beloved sculpture, that I had named as the Swan Maiden on Ray Mill Island in Maidenhead.

This bronze resin sculpture has long held a gentle place in the lives of our community, and the effort to revive it truly affirms how much we care for the spaces we share.

The Swan Maiden was first installed 37 years ago, back in the October of 1988. I created the sculpture, which was commissioned and donated by the Queensgate Group, a long-established local firm. For years it has stood quietly by the water’s edge, a figure of calm, art and nature intertwined. My husband and I used to tend to it regularly until a few years ago.

Like anything exposed to the elements and the passage of time, she wasn’t immune to wear. Holes had appeared in the base, water and debris had worked their way in, and the original bronze colouring was fading. It fills me with joy to know that the Friends of Ray Mill Island — together with dedicated volunteers from the Good Gym; local artists like Richard Grant, Leah Thomas; and generous supporters like Kay and Chris Clegg, David Walker, Lucy Young, and Kath Davies — have come together to restore her to her former glory. Their commitment and hard work reflect the very heart of community spirit.

The Swan Maiden is not just a sculpture: she is a quiet sentinel of riverside memories, of children’s laughter by the riverbank, of families and friends stopping to rest, and of the swans themselves gliding past. Restoring her means more than refreshing a piece of art — it means honouring the shared history of this special place and the countless personal moments that have happened here.

To everyone who rolled up their sleeves, offered a hand, donated their time and craft, and cared so deeply for this project — I offer my heartfelt thanks.

This piece will continue to greet visitors, residents and future generations, reminding us of the beauty of collaboration, heritage, and open-air art embraced by nature.

Eunice Goodman

Maidenhead

Discover history on our doorstep at centre

Eighty years ago this Sunday, November 30, the flag of White Waltham-based Air Transport Auxiliary was lowered for the last time, a few months after the end of the Second World War in which it had played such an important role.

That flag, lowered by one of ATA’s 168 female pilots, is displayed at West London Aero Club but belongs to Maidenhead Heritage Centre, which is determined that ATA’s almost unbelievable achievements should never be forgotten.

Without doubt, ATA is Maidenhead’s most significant claim to Second World War fame.

Even so we wonder how many Advertiser readers have visited Maidenhead Heritage Centre or its website to discover more of the inspiring story of this civilian organisation and its amateur pilots — men and women from 25 countries. They ferried 309,011 military aircraft of all sizes between factories and front-line squadrons, thereby freeing highly trained service pilots to fight the battle in the skies.

Maidenhead Heritage Centre’s permanent exhibition, complete with a Spitfire simulator, opened in 2011 and attracts visitors from all over the world, including historians, novelists, journalists and TV and film companies, most recently Viking TV and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and CBS television from the USA.

We hope this letter will prompt many more local people to visit us to discover history on their doorstep.

Richard Poad

Trustee

Maidenhead Heritage