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MAIDENHEAD WATERWAYS - THE ROUTE
Our primary aim is to follow and to restore the historic route of the former waterways as closely as possible, accepting that there are some parts where more recent developments makes this impossible or uneconomic.
THE PLANNED ROUTE
The design of the Maidenhead Waterways route is currently being finalised, taking into account the official Ordinance Survey and Environment Agency maps, plus the results of specially commissioned technical studies being conducted by Summerleaze and Black and Veatch.
The provisional route for the complete waterway would start at The Thames near Cliveden Reach, running via the White Brook (Widbrook) across Cookham Moor, up to the junction with Strand Water. The waterway would then run southwards via an enlarged Maidenhead Ditch - shown above - until it joins the York Stream at Town Moor behind the Police Station on the A4 dual carriage above Maidenhead town centre. This would be an ideal location for a turning area, with ample space for moorings on Town Moor. At this point the waterway would also meet up with the (now largely redundant) Maidenhead Flood Relief Channel shown below, that predates the new Jubilee River Scheme.
Thereafter the main waterway would run southwards past the Hines Meadow car park, underneath the shops at the Collonade and out at Chapel Arches beneath Bridge Street, where it becomes York Stream. A basin and moorings plus riverside facilities would then be possible before the channel continues down behind the library to York Road and under the railway embankment into Stafferton Way. A lock is expected to be required after this point (near Green Lane) to maintain water levels to a navigable standard, before the channel joins with The Cut and then continues southward until it rejoins The Thames by Bray Lock.
Including the Flood Relief Ditch in the scheme is a preferred option, as this would create a circular route for small boats around the town centre and enhance the appearance of many properties that currently adjoin a dry ditch.
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PHASES AND PRIORITIES
Completing the full waterways restoration scheme will require substantial funding and the work will need to be undertaken in phases.
The currently agreed priority is to build the southern half of the route first, shown here where York Stream runs under York Road, just south of the library. Concentrating on this section first would bring the greatest benefit to the town centre at the lowest cost, bringing boats into the heart of the town and resolving the recurring problems caused by York Stream drying up.
For both this phase and the overall scheme suitable partnerships will be needed to ensure the restored waterways are properly maintained. The existing streams are technically still part of the River Thames (being fed by and returning to it) and we anticipate the Environment Agency becoming reponsible for the majority of ongoing maintenance of the channels.
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THE PLANNED ROUTE
