The developer\'s planning application for the former cinema site at Chapel Arches in Maidenhead should be REJECTED by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead because it: - would change the existing permitted use from leisure, removing the potential for a major public amenity at this pivotal town centre site; - is an overdevelopment of the site, with an over 30,000 sq ft office block that is substantially larger and taller than the existing (disused) building; - the proposed building footprint would come within 5 metres of the York Stream, with an overhang that encroaches even further. The building would threaten some existing mature trees and dominate the waterside area; - the building would permanently block up two of the smaller c18th century arches (currently filled and behind hoarding) of the historic Chapel Arches bridge - one of the oldest remaining structures in Maidenhead - that adjoins the site; - although the landscaping plans improve access to the Green Way cycle and footpath, they would compromise rather than help the plans to restore and enlarge the York Stream into a recreational waterway and town centre amenity.

Sponsor

Links