RBWM planning round-up: Extension proposed for Maidenhead nursery school

These are the latest planning applications for Windsor and Maidenhead.

Pending: A developer is looking to build nine additional flats as part of plans to convert an empty office building at a Maidenhead business park.

Costain House in Vanwall Road, within the Vanwall Business Park, is a vacant three-storey office building which previously served as the headquarters of a major engineering and construction company.

In 2024, the council approved a set of plans to convert it into 38 flats with 53 car parking spaces and 38 cycle spaces.

Now, the applicant, Zake Maidenhead Ltd, seeks permission to add one storey to make way for another nine flats.

These would be a mix of studios, one-bed and two-bed apartments.

The nine extra parking spaces needed would be provided within the existing car park of the building.

Application documents said the rest of the business park has seen ‘significant residential growth’ with other former office buildings being turned or already converted into residential buildings, such as Monaco House.

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and enter the planning reference number 26/00639 in the council’s planning portal to view the plans.

Pending: A nursery school in Maidenhead is looking to have a small extension added.

Maidenhead Nursery School, in School Lane, was built in the Victorian era with three adjoining rooms, a playground, an outdoor area and an allotment to the side of the site.

Up to 70 children between two and four years old attend the nursery school. 

The school put forward plans for an extension, recognising the increased demand for two-year-old spaces, which are currently limited.

The current classroom for two-year-olds would be refurbished into a reception area, and the classroom would be rebuilt as a small infill extension.

Planning documents submitted by the nursery said: “It is considered that the building creates an unacceptable security risk at this time as visitors to the school are required to cross the entire playground to sign in.

“The proposal offers a safe, secure, foolproof entry and exit point for visitors.”

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and enter the planning reference number 26/00616 in the council’s planning portal to view the plans.

Approved: The Royal Borough has approved retrospective plans for a yoga studio in the back garden of a home despite objections.

June Cadden, the applicant and homeowner, puts on ‘small-scale yoga sessions’ in an outbuilding located at the back of Kings Cote in Waltham Road.

In a statement submitted as part of the application, Ms Cadden said the outbuilding has space for a maximum of five people and is used for her own daily yoga and continued professional development.

The garden is ‘large and secluded’ with no amplified music being played during the sessions, the application said.

It added that the use of the building as a yoga studio does not lead to ‘undue noise, disturbance, or loss of privacy to neighbouring occupiers’.

But objections were lodged against the retrospective plans with concerns over the ‘overbearing’ size of the outbuilding affecting neighbours’ privacy.

Concerns over parking were also raised, but the application set out that the ‘large’ private driveway of the home can accommodate up to four vehicles alongside the homeowners’ own car.

The Royal Borough approved the plans but set out that yoga classes can only be run between 7am and 9pm from Monday to Friday and at no time during the weekend or bank holidays.

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and enter the planning reference number 25/03425 in the council’s planning portal to view the plans.