Maidenhead United invite public to help 'shape' new stadium proposals for Braywick Park

Maidenhead United are inviting the public to help shape their proposal for a new stadium in Braywick Park.

Having engaged more thoroughly with the council and key stakeholders, the Magpies are hopeful their new ‘scaled back’ proposals will get the greenlight from the council and meet with the approval of the public.

Their previous proposal, blocked by the newly installed Lib Dem council back in July 2023, threw up several concerns over the scale of development and its location at the front of the park.

However, a new two-site solution is set to be considered by the council in the coming weeks, with a series of engagement workshops to take place with the public, starting from Monday, January 19.

Those sessions will specifically look at ‘Ground Design’, ‘Enhancement Opportunities for Braywick Park’ and ‘Biodiversity’. They will take place across three afternoons/evenings from Monday, January 19 to Wednesday, January 21.

Each session will provide people with the chance to find out more about the club’s proposals and share their feedback with the club’s staff and professional team.

A club statement said: “We want our local community to help shape our proposals for the new ground at Braywick Park. We have identified three key areas where your feedback and ideas will be invaluable, specifically: Ground Design, Enhancement Opportunities for Braywick Park, Biodiversity

“To maximise the opportunity for engagement and discussion, we will be holding the separate drop-in sessions, one for each area, which will run at Desborough Bowling Club, 10 Green Lane, Maidenhead, SL6 1XZ, between 4pm and 8pm on the following days:

Monday, 19th January – Ground Design 

Tuesday, 20th January - Enhancements to Braywick Park 

Wednesday, 21st January - Biodiversity 

“We encourage anyone who would like to contribute to this process to join us on these days. Free parking will be available at Desborough Bowling Club.”

A fourth engagement session for Maidenhead United supporters will run on Tuesday, February 3 at York Road between 5.30pm and 7.30pm which will focus on Fan Experience.

Maidenhead’s MP Joshua Reynolds and council members have been working with the club in recent months to find a potential solution which meets everyone’s needs.

Speaking at a reception for key stakeholders a few weeks ago, MP Reynolds said he was ‘encouraged by the belief there is a solution which addresses stakeholder/council concerns while supporting the future of Maidenhead United’.

Maidenhead United see no viable solution for staying at York Road, which is at capacity in terms of future development. It is proposing building a new stadium at the back of Braywick Park which will cover a smaller footprint but still be football league compliant, should the Magpies ever be able to break through that ceiling.

The 5,000 capacity ground (2,000 seats) will have a new hybrid surface, enabling more competitive matches across all sections of the club. The hope is the new facilities would immediately start generating more revenue for the club.

Plans for new training facilities – including a futsal hall and artificial training pitches – are being deferred with a new site set to be found in the borough.

The new ground would be accessed from a new entrance from Vicus Way and have a small car park for matchday staff and players and supporters would be encouraged to walk from the town centre or park at one of the council’s car parks in Vicus Way or Stafferton Way.

The next steps following these engagement sessions will see councillors consider the club’s proposal at a cabinet meeting on January 27. They would then publish an open space notice on whether to dispose of the site to the club. That would be decided by the council’s cabinet on March 3 and, if agreed, the council would lodge a full planning application shortly afterwards.