THE European headquarters of a Japanese tech giant won't be converted into 88 flats after planning officers blocked the plans.

The site in Whitebrook Park, 68 Lower Cookham Road, Maidenhead, was previously occupied by Hitachi for more than 30 years but moved out due the space being too big for their requirements.

But the developers wanted to see the large building have a new lease of life by being converted it into 88 flats, as well as providing 120 car parking spaces, 18 visitor spots, and at least one cycle parking space per apartment.

Planning officers took issue over the lack of a flood evacuation plan and some of the flats won't be nationally compliant in terms of space.

READ MORE: Will the Windsor & Maidenhead parking discount return?

While Cookham Parish Council did not object but asked the developer if they could provide a small public car park for residents to access nearby Battlemead Common, the plans faced backlash from the Maidenhead Civic Society.

Martin McNamee, chairman of the planning group, said: “The setting on the semi-rural fringes of Maidenhead, makes this location not really suitable for a large development of residential flats, which are out of character with the neighbourhood.

“We believe that the site should be designated for new residential development within the BLP [Borough Local Plan] so that the office block could be demolished, and a development of purpose-built family homes with a mix of townhouses, semis, and detached be constructed on the site.”

READ MORE: Six Maidenhead community groups could be moved by council

Previously, Royal Borough planning officers rejected a scheme for nearly 100 homes on the site in December 2019 over flood risks and a lack of an evacuation route for the homeowners.

Plans to knock the building to the ground were also blocked after the applicants failed to include information if any inspections took place to identify if the building hosts any protected species.