RESIDENTS, businesses, community organisations and any other interested parties are invited to have their say in the latest round of consultation on the Royal Borough’s draft Borough Local Plan.

Representations will be accepted from Friday, December 2 to Friday, January 13, in the consultation that enables people to make suggestions that can then be considered for incorporation into the plan.

The plan will allocate sites as well as guide development for housing, employment, retail, leisure and other forms of development in the area until 2032.

Cllr Derek Wilson, cabinet member for planning, said: “We are committed to doing all we can to make the borough a great place to live, work and enjoy and this plan is about providing the right development in the right places at the right time.

“We want to provide a borough for everyone and enable and support sustainable but sympathetic development to meet the needs for accommodation of the local population.”

The draft plan includes a wide range of accommodation to meet the varied needs of all the community, including affordable housing, as well as office and industrial space and supporting infrastructure.

The council will identify sites that will satisfy the full housing need.

Much of the growth will be in Maidenhead, where regeneration work is already taking place to enhance the town, including phase one of the Waterways project which is nearing completion.

There are sites in Windsor, Eton and Ascot earmarked for development while ensuring their status as visitor attractions are not compromised.

Cllr Simon Dudley, council leader and lead member for housing, said: “Affordable housing has been a key priority in developing the plan. We are very aware that many residents struggle to afford to buy a home in the Royal Borough and many people, including key workers, are put off moving to the area due to the high cost of housing.

“The council is in a fortunate position as we own land which can be developed as part of our Borough Local Plan requirements and we can control the type of housing which is built on that land. This will enable us to ensure there are suitable properties for shared ownership and starter homes.”

The plan also sets out policies which seek to protect and preserve open space, historic heritage and environmental aspects.

‘We want to provide a borough for everyone and enable and support sustainable but sympathetic development to meet the needs for accommodation of the local population’