Plans to transform former Boundary Arms pub into children’s nursery

A former community pub in Pinkneys Green could be transformed into a children’s nursery after plans were submitted to the Royal Borough.

The Boundary Arms, in Pinkneys Road, closed in 2021 and has since been the subject of a campaign to re-open the venue under community ownership.

The Friends of the Boundary Arms group attempted to drum up support to launch a community bid for the pub but the £775,000 asking price proved to be a stumbling block.

Plans have now been submitted to Windsor and Maidenhead council to change the use of the site from a public house to a children’s day nursery.

If approved, the nursery would be operated by Wise Owls Childcare, which runs nurseries at locations including Braywick Leisure Centre and Shurlock Row.

A planning statement submitted on behalf of the applicant said: “Maidenhead is a growing town with a large number of new developments either underway or planned within the town centre and surrounding areas.

“There continues to be a high demand for locally positioned early years places, and particularly in the north-western residential areas of Maidenhead towards Pinkneys Green.

“This area has a high number of local schools and residential estates and relatively low provision of early years education within the immediate and surrounding areas.”

The planning statement added that property consultants, Kempton Carr Croft, described demand for keeping a pub at the location as ‘low’.

It argues the impact on community facilities is ‘neutral’, as the nursery will be for community use.

Kenton Barnard, chairman of the Friends of the Boundary Arms campaign group, told the Advertiser: “Clearly, we would love it still to be a pub and there’s lots of us who think it should still be a pub.

“There’s still no pub open in Pinkneys Green with the Pinkneys Arms shut as well. We have no pub in the village and that’s disappointing.”

The group is set to consider its next steps and decide whether to oppose the application.

Wise Owls Childcare is proposing to operate the nursery Monday to Friday.

According to its planning statement, the venue would open for drop-offs at 7.30am with the last children leaving the site at 6.15pm.

A maximum daily capacity of 60 children is planned at the nursery but the daily number is more likely to be 49 youngsters, according to planning documents.

A travel plan submitted on behalf of the applicant said all staff parking and student drop-offs would take place using existing on-street parking.

The travel plan added: “It is expected the majority of parents using the nursery will be local, due to the surrounding area being predominantly residential, and as a result many parents would walk to the nursery.”

Windsor and Maidenhead council is yet to confirm when a decision will be made over the plans.

Visit rbwm.gov.uk and search 26/00179/FULL to view the plans.