Maidenhead golf course homes petition to protect open space

Maidenhead Golf Course occupies 132 acres of council-owned green open space

Campaigners have started a petition in a bid to stop developers building up to 1,800 homes on a golf course.

The petition urges the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council to protect the open space in Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead.

The golf course surrendered its lease to the council in 2022 and has now partnered with Cala Homes.

Cala Homes said it would create a "landscape-led development" that would keep "many precious natural features".

Campaigners from the Maidenhead Great Park group said they wanted to protect the land "for the benefit of people and wildlife".

The proposed Elizabeth Quarter development would sit on the 132-acre (53 hectare) site.

The site would also include two schools, a local community centre, cycle paths and public open spaces, according to the plans.

Tina Quadrino, of Maidenhead Great Park, said: "Maidenhead golf course provides a green lung for our community and important habitats for wildlife, including protected species like owls, bats and kestrels.

"With better management, it could be a vital place for nature recovery as well as a golf course.

"If the woodlands and green space are protected from development, the people of Maidenhead will have the opportunity to use this space in the best way possible for their sustainable future and wellbeing."

Council leader Simon Werner added: "It's a green lung of Maidenhead, and it would be tragic to see that disappear."

A spokesperson for Cala Homes said: "We understand this is a site that means a great deal to the local community.

"Our aim is to create a sensitive, landscape-led development, which retains and protects as many precious natural features as we can, opening up access to green spaces for the whole community to enjoy, while delivering the new homes Maidenhead desperately needs."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].