Planning round-up: One Maidenhead works and large office conversion

Pending: A construction company is looking for permission to change the road to facilitate works on a new six-storey office block planned for the One Maidenhead site.

The One Maidenhead development, formerly known as The Landing, is the large development on the triangular site bounded by King Street, Queen Street and Broadway in the town centre.

It includes office space, retail and leisure units, plus a new landscaped public space called Garden Square, with a link to King Street, new parking (189 spaces), and loading bays.

Buildings in the One Maidenhead scheme include:

• Building A, B and D – residential blocks with shops, leisure, or community uses on the ground floor.
• Building C – originally approved as an office with shops at ground floor. Updated in 2023 to a six-storey office building with flexible commercial space at ground level and a new double-height glass entrance approved in early 2025.
• Building E – a residential block (details approved in 2019).
• Building F – an office building with shops or other commercial uses on the ground floor (details approved in 2024).

Now Glencar Construction Limited is seeking a temporary entrance and roadway on Queen Street so construction vehicles, workers, and equipment can reach the One Maidenhead to work on Building C.

Two new dropped kerbs would be installed on Queen Street.

These are temporary measures, and the kerbs and footpath will be restored to their original condition once construction is complete.

The permission allows the temporary access for up to 18 months and the project is expected to be finished by November 2026.

Approved: Plans have been given the go-ahead to convert Pacific House, on Globe Business Park in Marlow, into 28 flats.

Pacific House is a two-storey, purpose-built office from 1987 which sits on Third Avenue. It stands on a self-contained gated site with 59 parking spaces.

Inside, the building is laid out as office accommodation with meeting rooms and cellular offices across the ground and first floors.

The site was once covered by restrictions stopping office-to-residential conversions, but those rules were scrapped in 2022.

No new restriction was put in place under the newer conversion rules, letting the developer apply for flats here.

Permission has now been granted for a change of use to create 28 flats – 20 one-beds; three one-bed, two-person flats; and five two-bed, three-person flats.

The plan also allows for up to 52 car parking spaces, plus 32 cycle spaces.

No external alterations, extensions or demolition are proposed.

PL/25/2421/PAPCR

Pending: A bungalow and garage in Altwood Bailey, Maidenhead, could be demolished and replaced with three houses.

The site, known as ‘Kim’, covers 11,840sqft (1,100sqm) with a long rear garden.

The plan would see two three-bedroom, three-storey semi-detached houses built at the front and a four-bedroom detached house set further back. A new access driveway is also proposed.

The applicants argue the existing bungalow ‘has little if any architectural merit’ and say the scheme would deliver ‘high-quality family dwellings’ in keeping with the area.

The site lies within a local character area known as the Altwoods and is also recorded as an area of archaeological potential.

Three objections have been lodged against the application, including concerns regarding overdevelopment of a small plot and increases in traffic/stress on local roads from parking.

25/02206

Pending: Five self-build homes are proposed on land next to Orchard Cottage in Drift Road, Maidenhead.

The scheme would replace a cleared plot with five family houses, each offered as a genuine self-build plot to be delivered through a design code and plot passports. The applicant says this responds to the borough’s shortfall in self-build opportunities.

The application also includes three off-street parking spaces for the neighbouring Orchard Cottages, intended to address a highway safety issue on the 60mph road where cars currently park on the verge.

As the land lies in the greenbelt, the applicant argues there are ‘very special circumstances’ – the delivery of self-build plots, the housing contribution, and the highway improvement – which they say clearly outweigh the harm.

25/02330/PIP

Pending: A revised plan has been submitted for a self-build home on Plot 4 at Pond View, Sturt Green, Holyport.

The two-storey detached house would have off-street parking, cycle and refuse storage.

Its footprint would be121sqm, smaller than the 140sqm maximum set in the approved plot passport (effectively a design guide).

Changes were made after the previous refusal in 2024.

The changes were made after the earlier scheme was refused for being too bulky and overbearing on the neighbouring Lovelace House.

 The new plan increases the separation distance to around 5m among other changes.

In addition, the design has been scaled down and reshaped so it looks less bulky:

• Instead of a flat-topped or boxy roof, it now has a pitched roof with a dip in the middle (a valley roof), which is more typical of nearby houses.
• The house has been made shallower from front to back (reduced depth).
• The part at the back is now just one storey high, rather than two.
• An outbuilding shown previously has been removed.

The applicant argues the new scheme is more modest, respects local character, and avoids impacts on neighbours.

25/02345/REM

Refused: A bid to use a terraced house in Mead Close, Marlow, as a short-term holiday let has been rejected.

The modern three-bedroom home, which has two parking spaces and a converted garage, was already in use as an Airbnb. No changes to the layout were proposed.

The house sits in a small cul-de-sac with neighbouring properties in close proximity. Officers said the change from a private home to a holiday let would intensify activity at the site.

They concluded that the transient nature of holiday lets would increase noise, disturbance and parking pressures, causing an unacceptable loss of amenity for neighbours. The decision was made against policies in the Wycombe District Local Plan.

25/06409/FUL