Nicholsons Centre developer doubles down on plan in response to council

The developer behind a £500million bid to redevelop Nicholsons shopping centre in Maidenhead has delivered its make-or-break response to a call for more information.

Councillors opted to delay a decision and ask for more information on the plans for the proposed Nicholsons Quarter, which could define the future face of the town, at a crunch meeting last month.

Details on car parking, fire safety provisions, and clarification on spaces for cafés, restaurants and shops were requested.

In Areli’s response to the request, the developer has doubled down on the provisions laid out in its plans.

Areli has planned for a multi-storey car park with 452 parking spaces to service Nicholsons Quarter, of which only around 100 spaces would be for shoppers in the town centre.

The developer said shortfalls would be made up by existing parking capacity nearby.

In its new submission, the company has reduced the number of car parks it included in its transport assessment to those which were ‘only 15 minutes’ walk’ from the site.

While Areli’s early surveys showed 3,210 spaces were available, its revised figure considers 2,656 – including spare capacity at Vicus Way Car Park which was not previously assessed.

According to Areli’s latest analysis, a minimum of 1,476 car parking spaces are available at peak times in the Maidenhead town centre area.

“Over 55 per cent of overall town centre car parking capacity is available during peak times of usage on both weekdays and weekends, in the current and future scenarios,” the company said.

“It is therefore considered that there is significant car parking availability in the town centre across a range of options.”

If approved, Nicholsons Quarter will reshape the centre of Maidenhead and add to the tower blocks that prop up its skyline with new ones up to 20 storeys tall.

Areli said its plans complied with fire safety laws mandated for all new buildings more than 18m tall, introduced in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster.

The plans include fire-resistant exterior materials, emergency power, and introducing ‘dual staircases’ – which offer an emergency access route as well as an access for firefighters.

Refuge areas for disabled people are included on building floors, the company said, as well as evacuation lifts and emergency voice communication systems.

Areli also submitted a map outlining the routes for emergency vehicle and emergency service personnel access to central buildings in its Nicholsons Quarter plan.

Problems with retail space had been highlighted at the September meeting, where councillors raised questions over a ‘significant’ reduction from earlier plans.

Areli’s response said Nicholsons Quarter would deliver 55 retail units – five fewer than the Nicholsons Centre.

“The existing shopping centre is demonstrably no longer capable of meeting current retail demands now or in the future,” Areli said in the document.

It added: “Shopping patterns across the UK have changed significantly over the last 15-20 years and this has been further exacerbated by the rise of online retailing.

“As a result, national retailers require fewer and smaller physical stores, which has resulted in town centres having too much retail floorspace.”

The company said it was ‘ready to accommodate’ existing retailers in Maidenhead.

A date has yet to be announced for when the council will reconsider the application.