(The order of agenda items was changed whereby Deerswood Meadow was considered third.)

Rosie Street, Natural Environment Officer, presented an update on the plans for Deerswood Meadow in Maidenhead. The Meadow was a small area of grassland (about 3.2 hectares) which was originally going to be used for housing, but not anymore.

After conducting a public consultation, Rosie Street presented a rough plan for the area which would include extra public paths through Deerswood, a limited car park (mainly for disabled access) in the north, a few habitats, public seating, and sustainable urban drainage features (SUDs) to reduce flood risks and further provider habitats.

Rosie Street then presented some graphs illustrating the results of the public consultation. Most people who were likely to access Deerswood would be local residents who would walk there. A few residents more would cycle and drive there. The results also illustrated that the prominent reasons for visiting Deerswood were to walk and visit a natural environment within an urban area.

Susy Shearer asked what the soil was under the SUDs. Rosie Street stated that she would have to come back to her on that question.

Lisa Hughes asked if there was an area in which toads could be left undisturbed. Rosie Street replied that most of the toads lived in resident’s gardens as well as in Deerswood based on some reptile and amphibian surveys. There were plans to plant a native hedge around the edge of Deerswood as well as some amphibian features across the land.

Lisa Hughes then asked if the paths through Deerswood were suitable for wheelchair users as well as whether there was consideration on accessibility to the natural playground area for children with disabilities. Rosie Street replied that a couple of the paths would be paved and disability access for the play area would be considered during the designing process.

Ian Harvey asked if any planning had been put in place regarding the protection of toads and other wildlife in the SUD area from, for example, free roaming dogs. Rosie Street responded that the SUD area would be fenced off as it was a drainage feature rather than a pond for residents to visit.

Susy Shearer asked how cycling access towards and through Deerswood was managed. Rosie Street stated that the management of cycling was discussed, such as adding cycle racks for cyclists to park their bicycle. While the public right-of-way was used to get across Deerswood, survey results conveyed negative results regarding cycling through Deerswood with concerns about tree roots being crushed. Therefore, recreational cycling would potentially be discouraged. Agreeing with Rosie Street, Susy Shearer replied that she would like to encourage more cycling to Deerswood.

Councillor Hunt asked if there was a proposed timeline for this development. Rose Street replied that the development plan for Deerswood Meadow would be taken to Cabinet in February 2023; in which the budget would then need to be approved. Rosie Street hoped that the work would start in early 2023.

The LAF noted the report.