Nicholson Quarter will secure 'long-term future of Maidenhead', developer says

The developers behind a planned town centre regeneration scheme have insisted they will deliver ‘long-term success’ for Maidenhead, as a crunch meeting edges closer.

Deadline day again looms for the proposed Nicholson Quarter project, a £500million town centre rebuild set to be put before councillors later this month.

Areli, the company spearheading the project, submitted a make-or-break response to the council last week after a call for information on car parking, fire safety measures, as well as shopping and restaurant space.

And as time ticks towards a development management committee on November 20, work will be frantically ongoing to put, what could be, the finishing touches to the multi-million pound plan.

Those details now include the provision of public conveniences in the scheme, Areli told the Advertiser this week. Public toilets had not previously been included in the plans.

But the Nicholson Quarter is not without its critics, with some saying the council should be prepared to ‘walk away’ from the deal if a satisfactory arrangement cannot be met.

Questions have persisted over whether the around 100 public car parking spaces included in the project will be enough, and the amount of space for shops and cafes.

Maidenhead Civic Society committee member Bob Dulson said Areli’s Nicholson Quarter should be ‘the heart to the town centre’.

He added: “But the outcome is primarily shops and flats with insufficient parking.”

The civic society has more than 350 members and acts to influence planning decisions for ‘positive change’ in Maidenhead, according to its website.

Mr Dulson said: “In our [the civic society’s] view, it still lacks the facilities and services to meet the needs of residents and draw them back to the town centre.

“A whole list of things have been put forward, from parking to toilets, medical services, perhaps even the council department could be housed in there somewhere.”

Provision of public toilets would be ‘a step in the right direction’, Mr Dulson said, but cautioned there were still problems.

If approved, the Nicholson Quarter will cause Maidenhead’s skyline to soar even higher by introducing its largest building up to 20 storeys high.

“If we’re going to have it so high, then it will be a landmark building and somehow it needs to become iconic,” Mr Dulson said, suggesting the tower could still benefit from architectural adjustments.

Asked whether the council should walk away if Areli cannot meet all its demands, Mr Dulson said: “Yes, I do.”

He added: “We’ve had turmoil [in the town centre] for years now, but if the plan goes ahead, it's going to take five, maybe six years to complete.

“If you started from scratch, it might just add another two years to that delay.

“In the terms of the future of the town, that's not a lot.”

In response to a question from the Advertiser over whether Nicholsons Quarter was ‘the best option’ for Maidenhead, an Areli spokesperson said:

“The Nicholson Quarter plans represent the best option for the long-term future of Maidenhead, fully aligned with both local and national planning policy and recommended by planning officers for approval.

“While the existing shopping centre has served the community for many years, shopping patterns have changed significantly and it is no longer operationally or economically sustainable.

“Over the past seven years, we have worked closely with the community to shape the regeneration plans, which will deliver new shops, offices, homes and leisure uses, create substantial employment and provide significant economic benefit for the town centre.

“We have addressed every issue raised at the recent planning committee and remain committed to delivering a scheme that will secure the town centre’s long-term success.”