Football club's move could lead to £2m investment

A football club's plan to move from the ground it has played at since the 19th Century and onto a council-owned site is set for further progress.

Maidenhead United have played at York Road since 1871 but wants to use land at Braywick Park, owned by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), for a new 5,000-capacity stadium.

An initial £2m lump sum that the club would pay on the completion of a 999-year lease would be spent in the Braywick Park area, council papers show.

RBWM says the money would be used for several projects in the area, such as expanding Braywick Nature Centre and refurbishing Braywick Park's athletics track.

It said it would also look to extend the lease for Maidenhead Rugby Club, also based at Braywick Park, "to enable investment and long-term security".

The Magpies' town centre site is thought to be the oldest senior football ground in the world to be continually used by the same club.

RBWM's cabinet will be asked to approve a plan for the site on Tuesday, building on agreements it made in principle in January.

Documents for that show 148 objections to the project were received by the council during a recent consultation.

Concerns include the loss of open space in Braywick Park and other issues about traffic and the impact on park users.

Draft terms, agreed in principle by the council and the football club in November, show RBWM also plans to resurface the 3G pitches at its Cox Green and Furze Platt leisure centres.

The football club recently released the first concept images of how the new stadium might look.

The club said four ground design workshops have been held in recent months and officials held an open meeting with the Wild Maidenhead nature group.

It also held an open meeting with hundreds of the town's residents at a roadshow at Braywick Leisure Centre and encouraged feedback through social media and its website.