Sierra House, Maidenhead

The scheme, brought forward by Derno Estates Ltd (part of the Freshwater Group) and designed by Rolfe Judd Architecture, will deliver high-quality Grade A office floorspace, a revitalised public realm, and a new pedestrian link between St Mary’s Walk and Providence Place – bringing much-needed regeneration to the heart of the town centre and conservation area.

Our role focused on providing specialist heritage and visual impact advice from the outset of the project. Working closely with the design team, we identified the site’s key heritage and visual sensitivities to ensure the proposals responded appropriately to their context. A critical part of our work was navigating the conflicting provisions of the Council’s Tall Buildings Policy and its Supplementary Planning Document. Through detailed analysis and engagement, we made the case that the proposals were consistent with the surrounding townscape and conservation area.

Even in the event that the Council considered there to be a degree of harm, we successfully demonstrated that this would fall at the very lowest level of “less than substantial” and would be clearly outweighed by the significant public benefits of the scheme. The approval represents not only the delivery of much-needed employment space but also the regeneration of a long-derelict site, securing a fantastic outcome for the client and the wider community.