Nature is under threat in the Royal Borough

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s Borough Local Plan includes building 2,000 new flats and houses on Maidenhead Golf Course.

This land is green belt and was bought by the council in 1953 to protect it from development.

Around 40 per cent of the 132-acre space is woodland (including Ancient Woodland at Rushington Copse).  So it’s an important site for wildlife, including protected species like owls, bats, slow worms, hedgehogs, kestrels and red kites. 

The importance of wildlife corridors

The Wildlife Trusts highlights the importance of nature corridors and linked green spaces, and is calling for of least 30 per cent of our land and sea to be connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030.  

Maidenhead Golf Course is close to Windsor Great Park and provides a vital habitat ‘stepping stone’ for local wildlife, supporting the much depleted biodiversity remaining in the south east of England.  The development of Maidenhead Golf Course will undoubtedly negatively impact other green spaces in the Royal Borough and once it’s gone, we can’t get it back.  

Nature is already under stress

Nature is already increasingly stressed by the loss of habitat and the effects of climate change.  Ecologists and Climate Scientists are repeatedly warning us that we are dangerously close to a mass extinction event.  We must protect and enhance remaining wildlife habitats, not concrete them over.

As well as providing vital connecting wildlife habitats, Maidenhead Golf Course is our green lung, absorbing pollution from busy local roads.

More homes are planned for our Borough than we need

RBWM’s Borough Local Plan justifies developing the 132 acres of green belt at Maidenhead Golf Course using 2012 projections on housing need (14,240).  In fact the BLP makes provision for a total of 16,435.  Our council says any oversupply will help neighbouring boroughs.

The Planning Inspector pointed out that 2018 housing need projections half the number needed for our borough (6,382). 

Since 2013 over 6,000 new homes have already been built or given planning permission, so we don’t need any more housing, and any necessary development should be focused on brownfield sites.

Greenspace is vital for mitigating against the effects of climate change

It’s simply not right to sell off our priceless publicly owned greenspace, which will be vital for taking steps to mitigate against climate change.  This includes strengthening biodiversity, tree planting, water storage, carbon sequestering, pollution absorption and community greenspace.

Please write to your local councillors

We are asking RBWM councillors to reject or abstain from adopting the Borough Local Plan when it comes to Full Council.  This is likely to happen sometime in January, so please urgently email your councillors to ask them to reject the BLP.

Ascot & Sunninghill

Represented by cllr.hilton@rbwm.gov.uk, cllr.sharpe@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.story@rbwm.gov.uk.  All three voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Belmont Ward

Represented by cllr.baldwin@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.bond@rbwm.gov.uk. Both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Bisham and Cookham

Represented by cllr.brar@rbwm.org.uk and cllr.clark@rbwm.gov.uk.  Cllr Brar voted to keep the space green, but Cllr Clark voted to sell it for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Boyn Hill

Represented by cllr.bhangra@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.carroll@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Bray

Represented by cllr.coppinger@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.walters@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Clewer & Dedworth East

Represented by cllr.c.dacosta@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.price@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Clewer & Dedworth West

Represented by cllr.dacosta@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.davey@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Clewer East

Represented by cllr.davies@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.tisi@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Cox Green

Represented by cllr.haseler@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.mcwilliams@rbwm.gov.uk. Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Datchet, Horton & Wraysbury

Represented by cllr.cannon@rbwm.gov.uk, cllr.larcombe@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.muir@rbwm.gov.uk.  Cllr Cannon and Cllr Muir voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.  Cllr Larcombe voted to keep the golf course green open space.

Eton Castle

Represented by cllr.bowden@rbwm.gov.uk, cllrs.rayner@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.shelim@rbwm.gov.uk.  Cllr Bowden and Cllr Shelim voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.  Cllr Rayner was unable to vote as she owns land which is part of the development area.

Furze Platt

Represented by cllr.delcampo@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.reynolds@rbwm.gov.uk.  They both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Hurley & The Walthams

Represented by cllr.hunt@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.johnson@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March.

Old Windsor

Represented by cllr.jones@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.knowles@rbwm.gov.uk.  Cllr Jones abstained and Cllr Knowlesvoted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Oldfield

Represented by cllr.hill@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.taylor@rbwm.gov.uk.  They both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Pinkneys Green

Represented by cllr.baskerville@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.werner@rbwm.gov.uk.  They both voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

Riverside

Represented by cllr.g.jones@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.targowski@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.

St Mary’s

Represented by cllr.singh@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.stimson@rbwm.gov.uk.  Cllr Singh voted to keep the golf course green open space when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.  Cllr Stimson also voted to keep it green, but later said she made a mistake and meant to vote the other way.

Sunningdale & Cheapside

Represented by cllr.bateson@rbwm.gov.uk and cllr.luxton@rbwm.gov.uk.  Both voted to sell the golf course for development when we took our petition to full council in March 2021.