Go-ahead for expansion of Maidenhead United's York Road if club is promoted

Plans which could allow the potential expansion of Maidenhead United’s York Road have been given the official sign-off to go ahead by the Royal Borough.

Every year, the football club needs to demonstrate it can meet ground requirements if were to be promoted into the Football League and submitted plans in 2022 which, according to chairman Peter Griffin, would ‘protect the club’s interests at York Road’.

York Road has a capacity for 4,500 spectators which, under the plans, could be increased to around 5,000 if needed through a new stand and extending the south stand. A number of other changes to improve facilities were also proposed.

Councillors gave the go-ahead for the plans back in March 2023, calling them a ‘no-brainer’.

However, a final decision notice was not issued until last week, due to a delay over a Section 106 agreement.

A Section 106 agreement is an arrangement between an applicant and the council regarding contributions made to the community during any development.

This has now been approved with the club agreeing to contribute to a carbon capture project over the construction of new changing rooms – another addition to York Road under the plans.

Club chief executive officer Jon Adams said: “As a club, we have a requirement to demonstrate that we can meet the requirements of the Football League within a year of promotion.

“That is, in terms of capacity requirements – seating and standing within the ground.

“What this planning consent allows us to do is to demonstrate that within a year we could undertake that development work.”

Planning permission grants the addition of more than 300 seats through a new north stand, and more than 200 through the south stand extension.

And there is also increased provision for disabled seating and toilet facilities.

Mr Adams said it was important for Maidenhead United to show its ground could be expanded, to ensure it could meet league rules if the club were promoted.

“This season, for the first time since we’ve been in the league, one of the teams that reached the play-offs – Gateshead - were unable to demonstrate they could meet those obligations and so they were taken out of the play-offs,” he said.

“So it’s more than just ambition to be promoted – of course, we’ve always got an ambition to be promoted.

“But it's also being able to play in the play-offs and making sure we can meet those requirements.”

These plans were separate to Maidenhead United’s long-term ambition to build a new ground at Braywick Park – which was stopped after the borough’s cabinet refused to release the land to allow the proposal to move forward last year.

In March, the club announced it won’t be pursuing legal action over the decision, saying it ‘would not be prudent to commit to a lengthy and expensive legal action which, if unsuccessful, could risk our financial future'.

“There’s no further update on Braywick,” said Mr Adams.

“The position of the local authority hasn’t changed so at this point in time that opportunity isn’t on the table for us to consider.”