Plans for 225 more homes in Harvest Hill in motion

Plans are afoot to seek permission from RBWM for 225 new homes on land south of Harvest Hill Road – on top of the two-hundred already approved at this key controversial site.

Developer Taylor Wimpey has said it is looking to bring forward the proposals soon, as part of the broader development of site AL13 in the Borough Local Plan.

This is now known as the South West Maidenhead area, earmarked for 2,600 new homes including those on Maidenhead Golf Course.

It also includes the Harvest Hill Road neighbourhood, covering 8.52 hectares in total.

Taylor Wimpey applied for 215 homes for this site, with a view to building everything from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom family plots (ref 23/00511/FULL). 

Permission was granted by RBWM in March – though not without a fractious meeting of the Maidenhead Development Management Committee last October.

Councillors clashed with officers over a variety of concerns, such as potential heritage loss, road access for emergency services, and whether Thames Water’s sewage network would be able to cope with the extra strain.

Some councillors wanted to defer the decision until these matters were cleared up, but officers maintained there were ‘no grounds’ to do so – and a split vote was tie-broken by the panel chair.

That was Cllr Joshua Reynolds, who said he felt this was the best scheme the borough could get in the ‘disappointing’ circumstances – i.e., the ‘straitjacket’ BLP.

Initial development works for the first phase of homes started in April, with sales due to launch this October.

Now Taylor Wimpey is looking to build a further 225 new homes in the same area, on land south of Harvest Hill Road.

If successful, this will make up the second phase of its Harvest Hill Road plan.

The homes will feature children’s play areas, public open spaces and landscaping designed to enhance biodiversity on-site, the developer has confirmed.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We are currently working to bring forward proposals for approximately 225 new homes on a parcel of land that is allocated in the adopted Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Local Plan.

“Initial preparation work is underway, and we will be consulting the local community at the appropriate time.”