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A project to reinstate the watercourse in Eton has been officially opened following investment by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.

The work has seen water flow again after 80 years through Eton passing under Baldwin’s Bridge, which was originally put in place for Queen Elizabeth I to make access to and from the castle quicker.

The money has also funded the restoration of Barnes Pool and its garden and will be open for the public to enjoy.

Councillor Samantha Rayner, cabinet member for culture and communities, said: “I am delighted that we were able to provide funding for this unique project that will rejuvenate a part of Eton to its former glory and will benefit residents and visitors to Eton.

“Eton Community Association and Eton Town Council have secured funding from a variety of sources to ensure this project went ahead and it is great news that they have been able to complete this scheme.”

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead funded an additional capital budget of £100,000 for the scheme which cost a total of £125,000.

Ros Rivaz, chair of the Eton Community Association, said: “Without the support of the council, all our sponsors, and the fabulous experts and companies who have been able to advise and support us, we could not have achieved this fantastic project.”

As well as restoring water to Barnes Pool, water should flow into the South Meadow brook and improve drainage on South Meadow Lane.

Councillor Malcolm Alexander, ward member for Eton & Castle, added: “What has been extremely rewarding about this project is the team spirit and the community involvement from day one. It is a legacy that everyone in Eton should be proud of.”

[Clearly the intention is to sell to a "connected" developer who'll landbank the plot until he can get planning permission.]

Clearly the intention is to sell to a "connected" developer who'll landbank the plot until he can get planning permission.

In which case watch out for " cattle field shelters" popping up all over the place (where no cattle have ever tread) - as the
precursor to erections on land ahead of planning application submissions.

An age old trick to dupe councillors into accepting that - as no objections were raised against the field shelters being erected -
then it naturally follows that the building of houses on said land would be a given.

A cunning plan - currently in use all over the Cookhams - by a certain resident farmer who will remain nameless.

All that's needed is patience ….

…. or perhaps cancelled by new councillors elected in the May elections ( hopefully considerably less of the
inept sheep that purport to be Conservatives from the current crop of incumbents ) … citing said "design standard plans" as a  waste of money …..

What's the point? More job creation that will just be ignored as every other plan seems to have been.

[6]

"The car park will be open from Saturday 15 March"

Today is Saturday 16 March.

Next year is a leap year so 15 March will be a Sunday.

The next Saturday 15 March will be in 2025. More delays from the  council!

Progress at the new Braywick Leisure Centre in Maidenhead has been marked this week with the official opening of a 240-space car park.

 

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead and Wates Construction celebrated the completion of phase one of the £32.8m project with a tree planting ceremony attended by sports coaches and employees from Magnet Leisure Centre.

 

After planting the last row of flowering cherry trees that will adorn the car park, attendees observed the casting of the concrete floor of the centre’s new 25m pool following a tour around the site.

 

Cllr Samantha Rayner, lead member for culture and communities at the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead said: “This is an important milestone and will mean residents across the Royal Borough will start to benefit early from a brand new car park close to the town centre.

 

“The planting of the cherry trees will blend the new leisure centre in with the beautiful park setting at Braywick, creating beautiful blossom canopies across the car park during the spring each year and they will be good for the environment.”

 

Braywick Leisure Centre will replace the 40 year old Magnet Centre with the new facility featuring a 10-lane swimming pool, larger training and splash pools, a 200-station gym, four squash courts, a larger sports hall and improved accessibility for disabled users.

 

Alec Jackman, Business Unit Director, Wates Construction, said: “We’ve reached a significant milestone in the progress of Maidenhead’s bold and ambitious new leisure centre and it was extremely rewarding to witness the excitement of those attending as they observed first-hand the progress we have made so far. The facility carries huge potential for the community of Maidenhead and to see this realised by stakeholders from Magnet Leisure Centre is very important to us and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.”

 

 

Wates Construction commenced construction of the project in October 2018 following its appointment via Major Works - UK, part of the Scape National Construction framework. The framework has been designed to deliver significant levels of local economic engagement as well as extensive community initiatives.

 

The car park will be open from Saturday 15 March and charges will be the same as the current car parking on the site with parking free for up to three hours (fees payable after then).

 

At that price (3x the average for the Thames Valley) no farmer could economically buy it. Clearly the intention is to sell to a "connected" developer who'll landbank the plot until he can get planning permission.

My guess is that a claim could be made that building on the first third of the field up to the Malders Lane Junction is actually infill development as the farm conversion to residential use that's going on at the junction of Cannon Court Rd and Malders Lane amounts to an extension of the boundary of Maidenhead out that far.

According to the last census in 2011 Cookham had 5779 residents, which would require £199 to be paid from each and everyone, adults and children included to meet the full asking price.

I guess it will all come down to whether or not anyone has the will to put a crowd funding project together, but I would have thought that the Cookham Society would wish to have a voice in this discussion/debate.

Yes, that's eye-wateringly expensive perhaps reflecting the eventual development potential.

Although if it was zoned for residential, then it would be worth very much more than that.

I'm sure folk would club together at an asking price of £500,000.

Residents are being asked to give their views on a new design guide which lays out what the Royal Borough considers to be design excellence to help guide improvement in the quality of new developments and places.

Known as the Borough Wide Design Guide, the document covers everything from how new developments and places should look and feel, to ensuring pedestrians and cyclists are accomodated for. The document also includes specific guidance on the design of buildings in flood risk and rural areas.

Cllr David Coppinger, lead member for planning and health (including sustainability), said:

Ensuring that future developments in the Royal Borough are sympathetically designed in-keeping with the unique characters of our towns and villages is vital.

“This guide lays out exactly what we expect of those proposing new developments while also ensuring that key items such as storing bins and making sure we have appropriate access for cyclists are not forgotten.

“We are really keen to hear from residents and to get their views on the document to ensure we have considered everything we would want from future developments.”

The consultation will take place from Thursday 14 March to 6pm Thursday 25 April and residents can respond online via our consultation portal or by completing a representation form and sending it to us by email or by post to: Planning Policy, The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, Town Hall,St Ives Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1RF.

The Borough Wide Design Guide is a supplementary document that supports the Adopted Local Plan saved policies including DG1 – Design Guidelines.

To sit alongside the Borough Wide Design Guide the Royal Borough is also developing the more specific design related documents relating to:

 

Parking
Tall buildings
Green and blue Infrastructure (rivers and green space)
 

Further information on these will be announced in due course.