Former York Road church could be turned into 49 flats

A Maidenhead apartment block could be built in place of a former spiritualist church if Shanly Homes' plans are approved at a meeting this week.

The Maidenhead development management panel will convene tomorrow evening (Wednesday) to discuss the proposals for the church in York Road.

Shanly has submitted outline plans to build 49 flats following demolition of the vacant building in the town centre, with just the access, appearance, layout, and scale to be considered at this stage.

Developers propose the new building to reach eight storeys and contain 17 one-bedroom and 32 two-bedroom apartments, together with 26 car parking spaces. Each unit would also have a private terrace or balcony. 

The scheme will also provide bicycle parking and electric vehicle charging points.

The site is earmarked for development within the adopted Borough Local Plan (BLP), which requires that at least 30 per cent of affordable housing should be proposed for a scheme of this size. 

However, Shanly has not offered any affordable housing as part of its plans over profit concerns. 

The Royal Borough's planning officers say in their report that this was 'unfortunate' and have attached a condition which requires the developer to review its finances to see if it can secure affordable housing in the future. 

Officers recommend to councillors to defer and delegate the application to the head of planning to approve the scheme subject to conditions.

However, the Environment Agency has objected to the 'unacceptable' plans due to the site's proximity to flood risk.

Development plans which have been opposed by the agency and are approved are routinely sent to the Secretary of State, who could call in the application for his determination. 

Residents can watch the meeting live on the Royal Borough's YouTube channel at 7pm.