Cabinet Member for Planning, Legal and Asset Management

Cabinet Member for Communities and Leisure

To note the report and:

i)               Approve the leasing of the former Sportsable Pavillion, Braywick Park to Padel Berkshire

ii)              Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Legal and Asset Management, to conclude the negotiation of a new agreement for lease and lease to Padel Berkshire

iii)             Approve the Executive Director of Place or their nominee to consult with the Braywick Park Users Group for their views on the re-use of the building and external areas for a new sporting facility

iv)             Approve the use of the Public Open Space Application and Consultation process and delegates the decision to the nominated officer.

That Cabinet noted the report and:

i)               Approved the leasing of the former Sportsable Pavillion, Braywick Park to Padel Berkshire

ii)              Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Place Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Legal and Asset Management, to conclude the negotiation of a new agreement for lease and lease to Padel Berkshire

iii)             Approved the Executive Director of Place or their nominee to consult with the Braywick Park Users Group for their views on the re-use of the building and external areas for a new sporting facility

iv)             Approved the use of the Public Open Space Application and Consultation process and delegates the decision to the nominated officer.

AGREED: That the order of the agenda was changed so that agenda items 11, 9 and 10 were heard first in that order.

Councillor Bermange, Cabinet Member for Planning, Legal & Asset Management, introduced the report by stating that the current building had been vacant since 2021 following the surrender of the former lease. Since then, the Council had been liable for all outgoings at the property, without receiving any income through rent. There were previous plans for the Maidenhead Heritage Centre to purchase the building, however this ultimately did not work out due to reasons such as a much bigger budget being required to allow the building to function in the long term.

Councillor Bermange said that in the wake of the Council’s financial position, all decisions needed to be made in the best interests of both social factors and financial security. He then said that it was very important that the introduction of the support within this area for a new leisure activity, did not conflict with any other sports that were on offer within the same vicinity, such as what was provided at the Braywick Leisure Centre.

Manish Garg then addressed the Cabinet as a registered public speaker for 3 minutes on behalf of the Maidenhead Hindu Society.

The Chair thanked Manish Garg for his comments and commented on how badly the Maidenhead Hindu Society had been treated by the previous administration over the last few years. He wished to meet with them outside of the meeting to see how they could work together moving forward.

Councillor Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Communities and Leisure, said that the deal that was being presented to Cabinet was a very good one financially. He also praised recommendation iii) within the report which allowed the Executive Director of Place of their nominee to consult with user groups within the vicinity of the premises, to iron out any issues or concerns that they may still have. He said that he would be meeting with them also on 21 November 2023.

Councillor Hill, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Customer Service Centre and Employment, said that as Ward Councillor for the area, he was delighted that someone had agreed to take it upon themselves to make use of the property. He sympathised with the Maidenhead Hindu Society, however praised the Chair and Councillor Reynolds’ commitment to working with them going forward. He also wished to commend the financial deal that had been struck.

Councillor Jones agreed with the comments made by Councillor Hill with regards to the financial deal that had been agreed and commented on the fact that no additional money was required to provide the building with maintenance, which was also a positive.

AGREED: That Cabinet noted the report and:

i)               Approved the leasing of the former Sportsable Pavillion, Braywick Park to Padel Berkshire

ii)             Delegated authority to the Executive Director of Place Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning, Legal and Asset Management, to conclude the negotiation of a new agreement for lease and lease to Padel Berkshire

iii)            Approved the Executive Director of Place or their nominee to consult with the Braywick Park Users Group for their views on the re-use of the building and external areas for a new sporting facility

iv)            Approved the use of the Public Open Space Application and Consultation process and delegates the decision to the nominated officer.