To receive an update from Robyn Bunyan, Maidenhead Town Manager.

Robyn Bunyan, Maidenhead Town Manager, gave the town manager update. She started off by informing that the data covered September 2023 and that the footfall data was collected in areas, namely the High Street, St. Ives and Watermark Development (where the Town Hall and Library were located), and Waterside Quarter.

There were 174,000 visits to the High Street in September 2023, an increase of 34.5% year-on-year. A positive result, Robyn Bunyan stated that the statistics were beginning to “creep back”. The best days were Thursdays to Saturdays which coincided with the produce market on the High Street as well as more office workers returning to the office. The usage of the High Street peaked at between 11:00am to 3:00pm timeslot with visitors and residents going out for lunch. This was consistent across all of the areas with some variation with the dwell time.

The dwell time in the Waterside Quarter area was around one hour, while the dwell time for the St. Ives and Watermark Development area was around 79 minutes. Robyn Bunyan conveyed that this illustrated that the Library was a good community hub with a lot of activity.

Overall, footfall and dwell time in September 2023 was good.

Moving onto car park in Maidenhead in September 2023, Robyn Bunyan notified that the data for August 2023 was outstanding at the moment but hoped to receive it by the end of the month. The total car parking usage for September 2023 was 59,361, which was slightly higher compared to September 2022, and was reflective of the increase in footfall.

On Broadway Car Park, Robyn Bunyan reported that demolition contractors would be on site on Friday 17^th November 2023 to start hoarding the site, which would take around two weeks. On top of this, information would be released in the coming days about the process. The work would take place in a 10-week period, from the hoarding being installed to the building being totally demolished. Once the hoarding had been completed, scaffolding would be placed around the building (both under Phase One). Demolition work would begin in January 2024. Robyn Bunyan expected that there would be little-to-no disruption during the Christmas period. There would be around six weeks of demolition, with further information on the process being provided once it began.

Robyn Bunyan then highlighted some new lettings in Maidenhead:

·       German Doner Kebab (GDK), an international brand, was opening a unit in the next couple of weeks on the High Street.

·       The building for Bombay Story in Waterside Quarter had been completed, though an opening date was yet to be announced.

·       At the top end of the High Street, a new sushi restaurant, Sushi Point, was fitting out in the former Fun Tech unit.

·       Two further properties had been let in Waterside Quarter, meaning that they only had one property left to let and there was some interest.

On office lettings, Robyn Bunyan highlighted that office lettings had been “absolutely flying” in the last quarter, with 36,307 square feet of offices having been let. This led to a total rent of just over £1 million for the local area. There were large brands which were choosing to place their businesses in Maidenhead, which Robyn Bunyan believed showcased how far Maidenhead had come with its regeneration and where it was going in terms of the interest that people were placing on the area.

There was huge interest in the ground floor retail and food and drink options for One Maidenhead alongside a large amount of interest for Tempo, with the ground floor public café had also been let. The vacancy rate in the local area was slightly better than the national average.

Overall, Robyn Bunyan stated, Maidenhead was doing “really well” in terms of returning footfall and car parking, as well as new businesses and office letting coming in.

Robyn Bunyan then gave the highlights of events and activities in Maidenhead. In September 2023:

·       Weekly Produce Market.

·       Norden Farm Kite Festival.

·       Free Sing September with Tuneless Choir.

·       Cookham Dean Gravity Grand Prix.

·       Mr Hoppy’s Maidenhead Pub Quiz.

·       Cookham and Maidenhead Arts Trail.

In October 2023:

·       Weekly Produce Market.

·       A-Plan Insurance Family Fun Day, on the High Street.

·       Pumpkin Carving and Costume Swap Shop, in the Nicholson’s Centre during the October half-term.

·       Maidenhead Comic-Con and Toy Fair, at Braywick Leisure Centre (Maidenhead’s second time holding the event).

·       Oktoberfest.

·       Maidenhead Town Show.

Robyn Bunyan then discussed the upcoming Christmas events, with the most notable one being the Maidenhead Christmas Lights Switch-on and Christmas Market on Saturday 25^th November 2023 (from 11:00am). Throughout the day, there would be a Festive Market at St. Ives Road and in Library Square with a selection of stalls, crafts and home-made items, hot drinks, a bar and street food. There would also be a fun fair with live music all day.

The day would kick off with Sing4You Choir, a community-based choir, at 11:00am. This would be followed by other live music throughout the day with youth dances, youth performances and bands. Providing there were no storms, fireworks would be displayed from the roof of the Town Hall.

Robyn Bunyan then showcased the RBWM Christmas Brochure which contained all the events taking place across the Borough during the Christmas 2023 period. This was being distributed around the Borough at various public places and libraries.

Robyn Bunyan explained that the Maidenhead Christmas Lights Switch-On and Festive Market event was organised by the volunteer Christmas Lights Committee and was being fundraised by another volunteer committee with a number of sponsors.

The other events taking place in the Borough in Maidenhead during the Christmas period included:

·       26^th November 2023 (10:30am), Pinder Hall, Cookham: Cookham Christmas Market

·       28^th November to 30 December 2023, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts: Miki

·       8^th December 2023, Cookham Dean Village Hall: Cookham Dean Metre Market – Christmas Special

·       8^th to 10^th December 2023, St. Luke’s Church, Maidenhead: St. Luke’s Church Christmas Tree Festival

·       9^th December 2023, Maidenhead Town Centre: The Lantern Parade, Carnival of The Animals – Take Flight!

·       13^th to 17^th December, Holyport Memorial Hall: The Snow Queen, Maidenhead Drama Guild

·       14^th to 24^th December 2023, Baylis Theatre, Braywick Leisure Centre, Maidenhead: Beauty and The Beast

·       17^th December 2023 (11:00am), Maidenhead High Street: Maidenhead Christmas Vegan Fiesta

·       21^st and 23^rd December 2023, Baylis Theatre, Braywick Leisure Centre, Maidenhead: The Santa Show 2023

Robyn Bunyan gave a brief update on the Maidenhead Town Team. She reported that the Team were moving forward with their Launch Project, Community-led Planting, in partnership with Braywick Heath Nurseries, though this was going slightly slower than expected. A sub-committee had been formed to bring together the 30+ ideas which came out of the Team’s launch. These ideas would be distilled so that the Team had the next steps for 2024, ahead of presenting its forward plan to the wider Town Team, which had around 75 members, and the wider community.

Councillor Reynolds praised the brochure and the festive events it included. He also appreciated the update on the demolition of Nicholson’s Car Park, stating that it was important that it was getting done and that it was a concern for residents.

Robyn Bunyan requested people to notify her of any event which had been missed from the brochure.

Referencing a question from a resident, Councillor Baskerville asked whether there was enough parking space for disabled people near the Town Centre. Robyn Bunyan answered that the parking capacity was available, and this had been promoted widely by the RBWM Park Smart campaign. She informed that people without a disabled badge were encouraged to park correctly (i.e., not use disabled bays). If the disabled parking bays were unavailable, residents could park in any space so long as they display their blue disabled badge, and the wardens would not allocate a parking ticket.

Robyn Bunyan highlighted that the surface-level car parks were popular, notably Grove Road and West Street car parks, even when Broadway Car Park was available. She assured that the car parks always had capacity, notably Hines Meadow Car Park, which had 40% capacity, even at the weekend. There was also on-street parking for disabled residents. The disabled bays along King’s Street, which fed into Nicholson’s Shopping Centre, would not be suspended during the demolition of Broadway Car Park.

Councillor Shaw asked whether the slow increase in footfall and car park usage was due to more people walking into town. Robyn Bunyan believed that this was due to more people living in the Town Centre, whereby they do not need to use car parks. In addition, more people were walking and travelling with different methods, though bus usage had remained static. She then stated that the Borough would see a trend as the footfall would increase due to more people live in the Town Centre, whereby they would not need to use a vehicle. She added that would likely see an increase in permit parking alongside the office lettings, likely in the next six months.

The Chair asked how residents could acquire the brochure. Robyn Bunyan replied that 5,000 copies had been printed and could be found in all the Borough libraries alongside venues, cafes, and supermarkets. She highlighted that there was also an online version, promoted via Make Maidenhead, Visit Windsor and My Royal Borough. The Chair commended the brochure and the work being done to arrange it and the events it included.

Councillor Martin asked whether tagging on Make Maidenhead was only for arts and entertainment, or did it include businesses as well. Robyn Bunyan confirmed that businesses were included as well. She explained that there were two variants of Make Maidenhead on social media: one was a social media page (managed by Robyn Bunyan) which used to promote events and activities in Maidenhead and the surrounding areas (as well as promoting and supporting local businesses); the other was a group where local residents could share activities and their offers.

Robyn Bunyan advised to people to ensure that they were tagging on @MakeMaidenhead on Instagram and Facebook in which businesses and events could be promoted. She also highlighted the other tags for people to use: Make Maidenhead, Visit Windsor (which included all activities in the Borough rather than only in Windsor), and My Royal Borough, which was more business-focused, with regular networking sessions, business training opportunities and networking. From there, the Town Management Team would be notified and would then share the event/activity. She also highlighted the hashtag #MyFestiveRoyalBorough, which was being used across the Borough’s Christmas campaign.

The Chair believed it was positive that offices were being let and office space was being used.