Please share with friends, family and neighbours in the borough so they can keep up to date. Sign up here if you've received a forwarded copy.

Putting sustainable development at the heart of our plans for growth

This week we took a big step towards ensuring sustainability, and tackling climate change, are fully considered in the borough’s future development and growth.

The Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was approved in a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday evening after a public consultation, and engagement with community groups, environmental groups, and developers.

The document, a key action within both the Council Plan and the Environment and Climate Strategy, aims to shape new development in the direction of net zero carbon, protect and enhance the natural environment, reverse biodiversity decline, drive carbon reductions in the borough and deliver wider climate change mitigation and adaptation.

It provides detailed guidance and best practice recommendations on environmental standards for development across five key themes: energy and carbon, climate adaptation, sustainable materials and construction, biodiversity, and sustainable transport.

From September this year developers will be required to submit a Sustainability and Energy Statement with planning applications where appropriate, to demonstrate how proposals comply with planning policies and match-up against the SPD recommendations and guidance.

Reminder: Get ready for our updated website

We’re updating our website on Wednesday 31 July to refresh its look and feel, and ensure our online services remain secure into the future.

You will still be able to report, pay, apply and find information at www.rbwm.gov.uk as usual. However, there are some changes you need to be aware of, because we’re switching over to a new website system.

If you currently have an online account (My RBWM), you will need to create a new account on or after Wednesday 31 July, if you wish to continue having an account with us. Your existing account will not be accessible from that date.

You can only set up your new account on or after 31 July, when our new website system goes live. If you don’t want to have an account going forwards, simply take no action and it will be deleted after 31 July.

Please note: If you have a garden waste subscription, please do not create your account until you receive a separate email from us on 31 July with a dedicated link to create it. This email will come from noreply@rbwm.gov.uk

There's still time to enter Garden in Bloom 2024

Does your front garden stand out from the crowd? Do you have blooming roses and beautiful flowering baskets which can be seen by people walking past your garden?

Well, if it does then there’s still time to enter our Garden in Bloom competition!

As residents, you can nominate your own garden, a neighbours, or if you see another blooming garden feel free to take a note of the address and nominate it. The only criteria is that the garden must be visible from the pavement or road.

Nominations close at 9am Wednesday 31 July, and can be made here. We prefer that photographs are uploaded alongside your nomination to show your garden at its best.

Nominations can also be made by emailing gib@rbwm.gov.uk or by post to: Garden in Bloom, c/o Mayor’s Parlour, Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead SL6 1RF.

And don't forget the Wildlife Gardens Awards

This year, gardeners are encouraged to enter both Garden in Bloom and the separate Wildlife Gardens Awards, which is also open until 31 July and is organised by the local ‘Wilds’ volunteer groups.

Their website also includes a checklist of 24 wildlife-friendly features, such as all compost used in your garden being peat-free.

Love Parks Week starts today

Today sees the start of Love Parks Week (Friday 26 July to Sunday 4 August), and we're celebrating our wonderful parks on social media, showcasing their many facilities as well as revealing some historical titbits about them.

Our Community Wardens have been out and about in many of our parks this week, meeting residents and having friendly chats, giving out tips, and getting much valued feedback from the public. And you can also see them at Braywick Nature Festival (today and tomorrow), and at Sutherland Grange Park in Windsor on Monday 29 July, from 2pm to 4pm.

We’re all of us rightly proud of our green spaces in the Royal Borough. They are great places to relax and enjoy nature, have a picnic, and walk our beloved four-legged friends. And scientific research clearly shows that time spent in green spaces (even just 10 minutes) reduces anxiety, improves our immune systems and promotes wellbeing.

And with a wide range of facilities on offer, there’s something for everyone, so visit our website and find your local park today!

Braywick Nature Festival gets underway

Braywick Nature Festival got underway today, and this free event continues all day tomorrow at Braywick Nature Reserve, giving residents a chance to have fun and interact with nature.

The fun includes pond dipping, meadow madness, live music, a veggie BBQ, a licensed bar, nature trails, workshops and more. The nature activities are free but Pond Dipping and Meadow Madness places will need to be pre-booked online. Nature activities are most suitable for four to 11-year-olds but all ages are welcome!

Pushchairs and wheelchairs are welcome but there's no parking available on-site, so we recommend parking at Braywick Leisure Centre car park, which is less than a five-minute walk away.

To find out more please visit the Braywick Nature Centre Facebook page.

Park smart in Maidenhead - make the most of your parking choices

If you’re picking up essentials in Maidenhead town centre, Hines Meadow, Grove Road and West Street car parks are all within easy reach, for most people, of the Nicholsons centre and other High Street retailers. Hines Meadow (under Sainsbury’s) always has spaces available for shoppers.

If you’ve joined our Resident Parking Discount Scheme, you can get an hour’s free parking each day at eight popular car parks in Maidenhead, Windsor, Eton and Datchet, including these three. You can still apply to join, completely free, if you’re a resident of the borough.

If you’d like to save money and don’t mind a 10-minute walk into the town centre, our Vicus Way car park is also affordable and always has spaces available.

Be Water Aware during the school holidays

As schools begin to break up for the summer holidays, we'd like to remind everyone of the risks associated with open water swimming. And with this week also seeing World Drowning Prevention Day we're playing our part locally by continuing to share advice via our water safety campaign.

Sadly, each year several young people die in water incidents across the UK, in the sea, rivers, quarries and lakes, and almost 250 people accidentally drown in the UK every year.

If you have children or grandchildren, please help by having a conversation with them about water safety advice and the risks of open water, and encourage them to use local leisure centres if they wish to go for a swim.

Know the risks

Cold water shock – the cold temperatures of open bodies of water can take your breath away and can lead to water getting into the lungs. This causes the heart rate and blood pressure to increase and can lead to cardiac arrest, or body heat moving to protect the internal organs, leaving limbs immobile.
Dangerous submerged objects like mangled trollies and upright poles can cause serious injury for anyone jumping into the water.
Riverbeds and the bottom of open bodies of water are uneven. The water could be so deep it has an undercurrent that can drag you under and downstream.
Open bodies of water are not clean, which can cause sickness.

What to do in an emergency

If you get into trouble in open water, your instinct would tell you to swim hard. But cold water shock can make you gasp uncontrollably. Instead, remember to Float to Live.

Tilt your head back until your ears are submerged in the water which forces your body up to the surface. Facing upwards also protects the nose and mouth from the water, giving unobstructed access to air.
Try to relax and regulate breathing.
While floating on your back, moving your arms gently helps you stay afloat and it’s ok if your legs are not level with the rest of your body.
If you can, get your legs to the surface, spread your arms and legs like a star as it improves stability.
Once panic has passed and controlled breathing returns, you can then call out for help.

If you see someone in trouble in the water, shout to them and encourage them to tilt their head back to float on their back.

Locate a nearby lifesaving ring and throw it to them, call 999.

Do not risk getting into the water yourself.

Reminder: Free swimming sessions for local teenagers this summer to aid water safety

Young people aged between 13 and 17 will be able to enjoy free swim sessions at two popular leisure centres during the school summer holidays, thanks to a water safety initiative.

Leisure Focus, our leisure operator, in collaboration with local partners including the council itself, has launched its “Safe Summer Swim” initiative, with a mission to reduce the risk of young people getting into trouble in lakes and rivers.

The programme offers free one-hour fun swim sessions for 13- to 17-year-olds at Windsor Leisure Centre and Braywick Leisure Centre (weekdays only) and it runs until Friday 30 August, making swimming accessible and promoting water safety.

With up to 40 spaces available per session, this initiative seeks to provide local teenagers with an opportunity to learn essential water safety skills, improve their swimming abilities, and foster a greater appreciation for water-related activities.

Read more here.

Yellow heat health alert

The Met Office has today issued a Yellow Heat Health Alert for the South East, which is due to run from 9am next Monday 29 July until 11pm on Wednesday.

If you can, check in on vulnerable/elderly family, friends and neighbours because they’re more likely to be affected by hot weather. And keep an eye on children too.

One way to keep indoors cooler, is to close those curtains and blinds facing the sun during the day.

For more tips on how to keep cool visit the government's Beat the Heat advice page.

If you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or appeal for volunteers you’d like to promote in this newsletter, simply send basic information about your event to communications@rbwm.gov.uk and it could be shared with more than 21,000 local residents.

You just need to include a brief description, when and where it takes place, and a link to a website/social media page/contact where people can find out more.

To see further volunteering opportunities in the borough, or for another way for community organisations to promote volunteering opportunities, please visit RBWM Together.

Windsor Classic Bus Running Day (Sunday 28 July). Hop on board a range of vintage classic buses and travel back in time on the bus routes of yesteryear around our picturesque Royal Borough. The running day will be based at the bus stops outside Windsor Parish Church, just beyond the Guildhall and close to the entrance of Windsor Castle. The event is being organised by the Amersham & District Motorbus Society, to commemorate 40 years since the large 1930s garage in St Leonards Road closed its doors. Visit their website or email for more information.

Free cricket this summer (Tuesday 30 July for six weeks). Leisure Focus are offering free cricket lessons at Furze Platt Senior School, in partnership with the Berkshire Cricket Foundation. Lessons for five to eight year olds - 9am to 10am for six weeks from 30 July. Free code: RUWPB. Sign up here. Lessons for eight to 11 year olds - 10.15am to 11.15am for six weeks from 30 July. Free code: QIYYK. Sign up here or email for more information.

Bugs, Birds and Beasts Day (Tuesday 30 July, 12pm to 5pm) - Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY. Come to a day of free and exciting events for all the family at Imperial College London’s Silwood Park campus. Join us and find out how bugs, birds and beasts enrich our lives: watch live bird eggs develop and hatch, marvel at falconry displays, take part and discover wonderful facts about the creatures all around us. For more information visit or to register visit.

Busy Bees and Beautiful Butterflies - trail and workshop (Wednesday 31 July, Thursday 1 August, Friday 2 August 10am to 2pm, Woolley Firs Maidenhead, Environmental Education Centre, SL6 3LJ). Suitable for ages 4 – 11, includes an exciting, crafts and a workshop. Bring a picnic! Price £20. Visit our website, email, or call us on 01628 829 574 ext 214.

Annual Fifield Fun Day (Sunday 4 August, 1pm to 5pm), Deep Meadows Fifield. A proper country fair with full size steam train rides! There will be something for all the family including children’s entertainment shows, dog shows, musical mats for dogs, fairground, games, ferret racing, reptiles, gun dogs, trade stands, flowers to buy, food and beverages and an afternoon of full entertainment! Free parking on site and donations for entry. All welcome, a great day out guaranteed.

Cox Green horticultural and craft show (Saturday 7 September, 2.30pm) Cox Green Community Centre, 51 Highfield Lane, Maidenhead. There'll be classes for all ages, from fruit and vegetables to handicrafts, art and photography. Also, for budding writers, a limerick competition class about the Olympics. There'll be plenty of stalls and attractions, our very popular wine raffle and a market stall selling delicious homegrown produce and cakes. Teas and cakes will be served with a smile by the lovely Townswomen's Guild ladies. It's a fun and friendly show and it's open to everyone, not just Cox Green residents. For more information visit or email.

The Links between Maidenhead and the Olympic and Paralympic Games (online talk - Wednesday 7 August, 7pm). Beginning with Lord Desborough, himself a talented athlete, arranging the 1908 London Olympics in two years flat... and virtually single handed. The talk will come right up to date with local athletes in with a medal change this year. In fact, some of those medals may even have been won when the talk is given. For more information visit .

Cookham and Maidenhead Art Trail (Saturday 14 to Sunday 15 September). The event takes place at a number of venues in Maidenhead and Cookham and it's free to attend and run by unpaid volunteers. This year there is a prize draw for a £100 voucher if visitors attend 5 or more venues. We have 46 participating artists this year and a high standard of art. For more information visit .

Free PSA blood test to all males over 40 (Saturday 28 September, 10am to 4pm), Desborough Bowling Club, Green Lane, Maidenhead, SL6 1XZ. Did you know 1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, and more than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year - that's 129 men every day. Maidenhead Lions aim to provide a free PSA blood test to as many men over 40 as possible who chose to take the test. Don’t delay book today. For more information and to book visit.

Local Travel Updates

For details of further council works on highways, visit our website. For full local roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network website.

Road closure: Two sections of the A308 Windsor Road in Maidenhead (the first near Little Paddocks and the second near Hotel & Down Place), will be closed between 9pm – 6am on Friday 26 July, for essential road maintenance.

Road Closure: Sections of Drift Road, east of Fifield Lane, Fifield, will be closed for four days between 9am and 3pm between Monday 29 July and Thursday 1 August, for essential road maintenance.

Road Closure: Queen Street, Maidenhead, between Broadway and High Street, each night between 10pm and 5am from Monday 29 July until Thursday 1 August, to facilitate fibre optic ducting works.

Road Closure: Gallys Road, Windsor from A308 Maidenhead Road southward, from 12.01pm Monday 29 July until 11.59pm Sunday 11 August, to facilitate renewal of leaking communication pipe.

Road Closure: Crimp Hill, Old Windsor, from Bears Rail Park southward to the entrance to Woodside Farm, from 8am Tuesday 30 July until 6pm Friday 2 August, to facilitate a new water connection.

Road Closure: A308 Osborne Road, at the slip road with A308 Frances Road, each day between 9.30am and 3.30pm, from Tuesday 30 July until Thursday 1 August, to facilitate fibre optic ducting works.

Road Closure: Barry Avenue in Windsor, from Goswell Road westward to the railway viaduct, between 9am and 3pm on Friday 2 August, to facilitate carriageway repairs at pedestrian crossings.

Road Resurfacing Work: B376 Welley Road, on the approach to and over Welley Bridge, from 9am to 6am between Monday 5 August and Wednesday 7 August.

Keep in touch

Keep up to date with news and information from the council by signing up to Nextdoor and following us on X and Facebook.

Other accounts you may be interested in:

Royal Borough official tourism web page.
Libraries on Facebook and X.
Royal Borough Registrars on Facebook and Instagram.
Communities Team on Facebook and X.
Windsor & Royal Borough Museum web page.
MyRoyalBorough on X , Facebook and Instagram.
Make Maidenhead on Facebook and Instagram.