Policy information sourced from Windsor and Maidenhead Local Plan
QP4 River Thames Corridor
The special character and setting of the River Thames as defined on the Policies Map will be conserved and enhanced, and appropriate development proposals associated with river related activities and employment will be supported.
Particular care will be taken to ensure developments within the setting of the Thames complement the distinctive character of the water frontage and important views. Existing riverside access will be maintained and opportunities to extend access to the River Thames and adjoining sites examined.
Where appropriate, development proposals within the River Thames Corridor will be required to:
- protect, and where possible enhance, views to and from the river;
- meet the principles of high quality design set out in this plan, having special regard to the riverside setting and water frontage character, and considering views of proposals from all public vantage points, including from the river;
- protect and conserve landscape features, buildings, structures, bridges, archaeological remains that are associated with the Thames and its history and heritage;
- maintain, and where possible enhance, public access for riverside walking, river corridor cycling, and fishing and boating;
- maintain tree cover, conserve and enhance natural river banks and their associated bankside and marginal vegetation and the ecological value of the area including its role as a wildlife network. There may be opportunities for the restoration and enhancement of natural elements of the river environment that should be incorporated within the design of new developments;
- retain or provide an undeveloped 8 metres buffer zone on both sides of a main river measured from the top of the river bank at the point at which the bank meets the level of the surrounding land.
Appropriate proposals for sport, leisure and river-related employment, infrastructure and renewable energy generation will be supported where they meet the above criteria and where they will not obstruct access along or to the river for any users, or harm its ecological value.
The principle of supporting sites associated with river-related activities and employment will be supported. Opportunities for generating renewable energy will also be supported in principle, provided that they do not adversely impact on the River Thames Corridor.
The ecological value of the river will be maintained and in appropriate circumstances restored and enhanced together with natural elements of the riparian environment, and proposals should seek to promote the healthy growth in the use of the River Thames for communities, wildlife, leisure and business in ways that are compatible with its character, setting and ecology, and in line with the objectives of the River Thames Waterways Plan and the Environment Agency’s River Basin Management Plan.
For more information please see the Local Plan