What is the Development Plan for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
The Development Plan for Windsor & Maidenhead is the borough’s new local plan and, once adopted, will form part of the statutory development plan used to guide decisions on planning applications.
Why are we preparing a Development Plan?
The Government requires all councils to prepare up-to-date local plans and plan for future growth under the new plan-making system. Our current Borough Local Plan was adopted in 2022.
We are now required to begin preparing a new plan to plan for future needs, including a significantly higher level of housing.
The new Plan will help us to:
- Plan for homes we need, including affordable housing.
- Support the local economy and regeneration.
- Safeguard and enhance the environment.
- Maintain local control over development
- Ensure appropriate infrastructure is delivered in the right places.
But we want to do this in a sustainable way.
Development Plan timetable
Work on the new Plan is underway. The three stages highlighted below are key consultation stages in the preparation of the Plan. For a full timetable, please visit the Council's website.
Summer 2026
Early engagement and Scoping Consultation
Representations are invited on what the plan should contain and how future engagement activities on the plan should be carried out.
This consultation will run from 30 July to 13 September 2026
(Commencement expected July 2026)
Autumn 2027
Consultation on proposed Plan Content and Evidence (Regulation 23)
The next statutory consultation stage invites people to review and share their opinions on the proposed Plan content and evidence.
The outcome of this opportunity will influence the content and scope of the Plan.
This consultation is due to run from 16 September 2027 to 28 October 2027.
(Commencement expected September 2027)
Summer 2028
This is the third and final statutory consultation stage. People are invited to make representation on the Proposed Development Plan for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead – the full draft of the Plan.
This consultation is due to run from 1 June 2028 to 27 July 2028.
(Commencement expected June 2028)
Have your say
Call for Sites 2026
The new plan will allocate sites in the period up to 2045 to meet the housing, economic development, environmental and other needs of the Royal Borough. This call for sites provides the opportunity for you to suggest sites for a range of different uses, not just for housing or economic development, including sites for community uses, renewable energy provision and biodiveristy improvements. We welcome sumbissions from landowners, developers and other interested parties. A key...
Scoping Consultation
Help Shape the Future of the Royal Borough The Council is preparing a new local plan, called the Development Plan for the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. This Plan will guide how the Borough grows and changes over the next 20 years. It will help shape where homes, jobs, infrastructure, community facilities and green spaces are located. We are at the very beginning of the process. At this stage we are not proposing sites or...
Map of the Borough
This is an interactive map.
This page contains a map of the Council boundary area.