Plan for 197 homes and 118 units for older people in Windsor

An Alma Road site that has gone through more than one planning battle with RBWM has come around for a third swing.

Elysian Alma Road Ltd is looking to get 197 homes and 118 ‘extra care units’ for older people approved in Windsor Business Quarter at 67 Alma Road.

The land has been vacant since 2008, cleared for 10 years and ‘identified for positive redevelopment,’ according to the applicants.

It was formerly occupied by an office building (Imperial House), demolished in 2014.

A planning application has already been approved for a building of 1-7 storeys of 217 apartments and a five-storey office building.

This new application alters that, offering ‘purpose-built, well-designed homes with healthcare support and communal facilities’ with an aim to encourage 'intergenerational spaces.'

In the past, a plan for about 25,460sqm of office floorspace plus café/restaurant was refused in 2010 by RBWM – but permitted on appeal in 2011.

There was then a bid for a mixed-use scheme for 217 apartments in 2019, reducing the amount of office space to about 16,390sqm. This was also refused by RBWM – also overturned.

This new proposal includes a 1-7 storey building for extra care accommodation, with 118 bed spaces across 1, 2 and 3 bed units, and two guest rooms.

There is also to be a 3-7 storey building of up to 197 studios, one, two- and three-bedrooms homes.

Overall, there are plans for 6,896sqm of public realm to be built, including amenity spaces for both buildings, as well as a ‘new green route’ to Vansittart Recreation Ground.

The existing access road from Alma Road will be improved with 1.8m footways either side of the carriageway, allowing for safe access for both pedestrians and cyclists from the east of the site.

The development will provide 40 car parking spaces in the basement and five at ground floor level, equating to 0.38 car parking spaces per home.

In addition, a car club space will be provided. The applicant’s representatives, DP9 Ltd, said that one car club space provides ‘the equivalent capacity’ of 22 private cars.

When shared between the buildings, this ‘increases the car parking to an equivalent of 56 spaces’, ie 0.47 car parking spaces per dwelling, they wrote.

It is intended for parking for the extra care units to be ‘limited’ but available for those residents wishing to drive to assist independent living.  There will be six visitor and staff parking spaces.

Additional options for travel include an electric minibus service on-site.

Regarding visitor traffic, Elysian Residences has estimated that one out of every six care units will receive one visitor travelling by car a day, making about 22 visiting cars a day in

See all plans with reference number 24/01594/FULL in RBWM’s planning portal.