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Development plans for Mill Lane and Skindles
On 16 September 2008 the developers held an exhibition at the mill. They showed plans covering the area from the A4 at Skindles through to the northern end of the paper-mill site. It is still very early in the planning process so there was not much detail about exactly what the proposed buildings would look like, but the overall idea was fairly clear. The current plans are reproduced below; we are very grateful to Hunter Page Planning for providing electronic copies in time for this issue and for allowing us to publish them. Starting from the southern end, the main points are:- Replace Skindles with a new hotel on the same site
- Provide a new public footpath along the river side of the hotel, linking Mill Lane to the Thames Path
- Move the Mill Lane/A4 junction to the eastern side of the VW dealership
- Build a tennis club behind the VW dealership
- Keep the existing working boatyard but add some new buildings to the site
- Build a group of Live/Work units where the recycling yard now is, along with a central services building holding meeting rooms etc
- Enlarge the inlets from the Thames to form small marinas with housing around them
- Build a set of linked apartments along the Jubilee River above the intake weir
- Provide new public footpaths to the northern end of the site
- Although not shown on the plans, there is the possibility of a footbridge to Boulters Lock
This is a sketch showing what the apartments might look like:
Some perspective views:
Comments:
01 Oct 2008 10:55:55 AndrewFindlay:
Good points:- Public access - the site will be open for the public to walk through.
- Modern design - more detail is needed, but the initial sketches look OK. Too many recent developments are trying to look old.
- Live/Work units - an excellent idea, should reduce commuting.
- The residents will obviously want views of the rivers, so there will be a loss of trees and the apartments will be visible from outside the development. This will affect the setting of the Conservation Area.
- Moving the Mill Lane junction will probably increase the attraction for rat-running traffic.
- The proposed tennis club will be a large blocky building (to contain indoor courts) on land where there is no building at present. This is an encroachment into the green belt land.
- Maintain a belt of trees to screen the development from the east (particularly the view from the top of Footpath 12).
- Close Mill Lane to motorised traffic just east of the Jubilee River bridge.
- Write into the planning permission that there shall be new public footpaths through the development leading to a new footbridge across to Boulters Island. Making these statutory footpaths is important: I do not want to see another "gated development" in Taplow.
- Build a small hydro power station in one of the old mill-races. At most times of the year this could contribute much of the site's electricity demand, and provide a good return on investment too. An added bonus would be to preserve the "mill" connection.
- If there is to be a tennis club, make it outdoor-only and non-exclusive. Anyone should be able to walk in and play.
- The Live/Work units will need a sandwich shop nearby: maybe this could also sell basic groceries and office supplies.
04 Nov 2008 15:23:51 JohnAshford:
Cycle ways - two changes which would be a big help: The proposed bridge over the Thames would be an excellent contribution. There is at present no effective crossing for cyclists between Cookham Bridge and Maidenhead Bridge. The latter is not pleasant for a cyclist at best, and on bad days can be hazardous. Please, if possible, could the proposed footbridge be made cycle-friendly. Easy ramps would be better than nothing, even if it were not not rideable all the way across - "Cyclists Dismount" signs appear to be freely available.There is a footpath from Mill Lane near the Skindles corner (GR 393 816) to the top of the hill in Mill Lane. It is much used (unofficially) by cyclists and is much safer than the steep blind bend on Mill Lane hill. It would be a big improvement if it were re-designated and a little bit of upgrading included. It would be even better if a sweeping curve were introduced on the Taplow side of the Jubilee River to make the climb easier and to reduce the temptation to speeding by descending riders.
I believe that both of these proposals should count as Planning Obligations / Developers Contributions. They have been discussed with a representative of the Ramblers Asociation who are broadly supportive. Please would you consider adding them to your 'wish list'. John Ashford (CTC Member; Sustrans supporter; RBWM Cycle Forum)