Planning, Parking, Highways and Transport

To consider adoption of the South West Maidenhead Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Cabinet considered adoption of the South West Maidenhead Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Councillor Haseler, Cabinet Member for Planning, Parking, Highways and Transport explained that the Borough Local Plan adopted in February 2022 after a rigorous and lengthy examination by an Independent Inspector, identified the South West Maidenhead area for major housing and employment development. The adoption of the SPD would help coordinate development across the area, providing more detail to supplement the policies and proposals in the adopted Local Plan. It would be an important material consideration in the determination of planning applications. Policy QP1b of the Borough Local Plan indicated that a Development Framework SPD would be produced. The SPD provided the opportunity to ensure that development in the area came forward in a strategic and comprehensive manner. It set design principles to ensure coordinated and high quality development, outlined other key requirements and principles for development, and set out the infrastructure requirements and how they could be delivered in a timely manner.

The South West Maidenhead Placemaking Area comprised three BLP allocated sites:

·       Site AL13 – Desborough, Harvest Hill Road, South West Maidenhead – housing allocation for approximately 2,600 homes, two schools and a new local centre.

·       Site AL14 – “The Triangle site” – allocated for industrial and warehousing development.

·       Site AL15 – Braywick Park – allocated for mixed use strategic green infrastructure accommodating indoor and outdoor sports facilities, public park, special needs school and wildlife zone Policy.

QP1b stated that to ensure the development of the placemaking area as a whole came forward in a strategic and comprehensive manner, planning applications on individual land parcels should accord with the principles and requirements set out in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The policy indicated that the SPD would be produced by the Council in partnership with the developers, landowners, key stakeholders and in consultation with the local community.

Councillor Haseler explained that Supplementary Planning Documents added further detail to policies in the development plan. They could be used to provide further guidance for development on specific sites, or on particular issues. They did not create new policy, they did not replace existing policy and they could not amend existing policy in the Borough Local Plan. An SPD was a material consideration in planning decisions but they did not form part of the development plan. In preparation of the SPD, early public engagement took place in the form of three online events together with the opportunity for everyone to submit written comments afterwards. There was extensive publicity about the events in advance including writing to nearly 1,000 homes in the vicinity of the main development sites, consulting an extensive list of people on the planning policy consultee database, holding a press briefing (with subsequent articles and publicity about the events in the local media), and regular use of social media to publicise the events. The draft SPD was published for a 6 week public consultation in July 2022, the Council again wrote to nearly 1,000 local residents and a wide range of consultees on the consultee database. Three staffed drop-in sessions were held, two at the Maidenhead Library and one at the Braywick Leisure Centre and an online event held via Microsoft Teams. About 90 written representations were received from residents and other stakeholders.

As expected, a wide range of comments were received. A Consultation Statement had been produced, summarising all engagement and consultation undertaken in the preparation of the SPD. It also summarised the responses received and provided a response to the issues raised. The changes made following consultation on the draft SPD were summarised at section 2.8 of the report.

Councillor Haseler explained the consequences of not adopting the SPD such as an uncoordinated approach to development across the area, a lack of coordination of key infrastructure provision with the risk that not all infrastructure was provided, or not provided for in a timely manner. It also risked the lack of joined up thinking in relation to key design principles across the area.

Councillor Haseler proposed the recommendations and Councillor Johnson seconded the proposals stating this was a critical piece of planning policy.

Councillor Hilton stated that the Supplementary Planning Document set out clearly how it would integrate and enhance the quality Maidenhead. He noted that the policy was promoting net zero carbon and taking a whole life carbon emissions approach would help the Council become carbon neutral.  

Councillor McWilliams reiterated the importance of the site to resolve previous issues around the delivery of affordable housing and recognised the various targets set out within the document and the numbers of homes this equated to.

Councillor Johnson was pleased that the Supplementary Planning Document would ensure that local people would benefit from the affordable housing supply as well as from the significant infrastructure provision referred to.

In response to Councillor Stimson’s query relating to the carbon calculation Councillor Haseler explained this was set out in section 6.7 of SPD itself as net zero carbon operational and that took into account whole life carbon and Council would therefore give weight to applications that considered this.

In response to Councillor Price’s concerns that developers were not planning to build the affordable houses first Councillor Haseler stated that no applications had been received for the main site yet and therefore this would be dealt with as part of the planning process.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY that:

i)               the report be noted;

ii)             the adoption of the South West Maidenhead Development Framework Supplementary Planning Document, as set out in Appendix B of the Cabinet report, be approved; and

iii)            authority be delegated for minor changes to the Supplementary Planning Document to be made prior to publication to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Parking, Highways and Transport.