Works start in Maidenhead as part of larger plan to “Brighten up Maidenhead’s Urban Environment” according to the council. 

The aim of the project is to create an aesthetically nice town centre and increase the number of walking and cycling routes. In its first stage, the work, which started on Monday, will focus on the pedestrianised section of King Street between Broadway and Keys Place and will create a cycling path along the centre with pedestrian areas on the side.

 Councillor Geoff Hill, Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said that “The final design of the scheme has been shaped following extensive on-the ground research    carried out by the council along this section of King Street as well as feedback from stakeholder forums including walking, cycling, disability and inclusion groups.” 

It’s not the first time work has been done on King Street in recent years, with work done in 2021 on the street also aimed to improve the experiences of pedestrians and cyclists. However it was met with some issues as they impeded entrances to businesses, causing potential loss of revenue before the problem was fixed.

All the funding had come externally from the Berkshire LEP, only to be used in this current project. Alison Webster, Chief executive officer at Berkshire LEP announced that the funding had come from the Government’s Local Growth Fund, aiming to increase the amount of people visiting the town centre in a sustainable way.

As an additional bonus to the new, high quality paving, there will be the possibility to introduce café style seating subject to planning permission.

Another important aspect of the works is to maintain easy access for the people of the town, which is why the Council has said that the project will have different phases, starting with a cycle area down the centre.

These works are the start of a larger project to improve the town, by making it sustainable and more pleasing for visitors, hopefully attracting more tourists to the area and thus making the area more revenue.