Detailed plans for a 320-home development in Windsor, which will also provide land for a new special educational needs school, have been approved by the local authority.

Vistry Group has been granted permission to build the new neighbourhood – to be known as Windsor Arch – on land off Dedworth Road. The new energy-efficient homes will include one and two-bedroom apartments and two, three, four and five-bedroom houses, and will all benefit from low-carbon air source heat pumps, solar PV panels and wastewater heat recovery systems.

At least 128 of the homes at Windsor Arch will be provided as affordable properties available for local people through low-cost rent or shared ownership and a further 10 plots will have customisable layouts and interiors. The private homes will be built under Vistry’s Bovis Homes brand.

The development will also feature a new community building and 11 acres of open space, including four children’s play areas, an outdoor gym, a community orchard and wildlife habitats. A further 5.4 acres of land is being provided for the special school, which will be the subject of a separate reserved matters application.

Detailed planning permission was issued by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead on 13^th November 2024, following approval by the council’s Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee in October.

Trevor Wicks, managing director for Vistry Thames Valley, said: “The new neighbourhood we are planning at Windsor Arch will range from one-bedroom apartments to five-bedroom houses and include at least 40 per cent affordable properties to help meet the need for new housing in the area and ensure the creation of a diverse and vibrant new community.

“Windsor Arch will be a sustainable development on land which has been allocated for housing in the Borough Local Plan and is only two miles from the shops, bars and restaurants of the historic centre of Windsor.

“A network of cycleways and footpaths will encourage residents to use greener forms of transport, while an outdoor gym and an orchard will promote healthy lifestyles. All homes at Windsor Arch will feature air source heat pumps, solar panels and wastewater heat recovery systems to help reduce carbon emissions and lower householders’ energy bills.

“As part of the planning agreement for the development, we will be building the new community centre and investing more than £700,000 to help improve local infrastructure and services. This significant contribution will see us invest £355,000 for off-site sports pitches and £350,510 towards highways improvements, as well as an on-site car club.”

Outline plans for up to 320 homes, a special educational needs school, a community building and open space, with access off Dedworth Road, were approved in June 2023.

Construction work is due to begin at Windsor Arch in early 2025 and the first homes are set to be released for sale in late 2025.

Vistry Thames Valley – a region of Vistry Group, which incorporates the Bovis Homes, Linden Homes and Countryside Homes brands – is building new homes across Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire.

For more information visit bovishomes.co.uk or lindenhomes.co.uk.