Maidenhead M&S store could be re-developed into 'mixed-use' scheme, planning documents suggest

The Marks & Spencer store in Maidenhead High Street could be redeveloped into a ‘mixed-use’ scheme once the retailer leaves, planning documents have suggested.

In November, the food and clothing chain revealed plans to close its long-standing High Street store.

M&S, which has been serving the community from the two-floor store for more than 50 years, is planning to create a new 16,000 square foot fresh market-style foodhall at Stafferton Way Retail Park.

Plans were submitted to sub-divide unit 4 at Stafferton Way Retail Park for retail purposes late last year – but documents included in the proposals have also suggested a redevelopment of the current High Street store could be in the pipeline.

A planning statement said the floorspace for the foodhall at the High Street site is not enough for the new foodhall format the company is rolling out – but adds other factors are ‘in play’ for the premises at 60-64 High Street.

It said M&S has a development agreement in place with a third party as part of its ‘wider asset strategy’.

This would involve the redevelopment of the town centre site for a ‘mixed use scheme’, once M&S vacates.

The statement explained that the party who the development agreement is with ‘owns the adjacent property to the east (with Boots in occupation)’.

The intention is to bring forward a ‘comprehensive part re-development, part refurbishment’ of the two sites, to ‘deliver main town centre uses alongside resident accommodation on the upper levels’.

It added a pre-application consultation has started with the Windsor and Maidenhead local planning authority (LPA), which ‘shows an intention to bring forward high-quality development across the two sites’.

“However, the well-known and understood pressures on high streets across the country means that a consolidated level of retail floorspace is proposed, which is lower than would be required for M&S for a new foodhall to be provided on the High Street,” the statement said.

It added: “Residential development is also proposed on the upper levels.

“A strategy to seek to negate any break in trade of existing retail occupiers on the High Street is also being developed, and this would also impact on the timing of new retail floorspace within any new development,” it said.

It is anticipated that following any approval of planning permission, a build period would be around 24 to 36 months, would be needed, once 60-64 High Street is empty.

The statement added: “This would incur an unacceptable break in trade for M&S which adds to the position that the continued use of the existing M&S property, even after redevelopment, would not be deemed to be sequentially preferable’.

Last year, plans were approved by the Royal Borough to split The Range unit into two separate retail units.

At the beginning of December, M&S also submitted an application to demolish the existing garden centre at the site to make way for the new foodhall.

Both applications are currently awaiting a decision.

An M&S spokesperson said the company would not be commenting further than the details in the application.

A Boots spokesperson said: “We can confirm that our Boots Maidenhead High Street store remains open and has no plans to close.”

For more information type in the reference number: 25/03248/FULL into RBWM’s portal.