Final draft agreements for Maidenhead town centres regeneration have now been submitted marking a major milestone in the long-awaited project.

Developer Areli is preparing to start work on a project to redevelop the Nicholsons Centre and build 755 homes, 11,000sqm of commercial space (offices) and up to 850sqm for retail/other flexible use.

The plans have been approved by a council panel already but have yet to be officially stamped approved, as they are pending the final legal agreements.

The mammoth project has seen 433 documents uploaded to the Royal Boroughs online planning portal showing the amount of detail needed to be pinned down before it can get off the ground.

The latest and most significant are the section 106 agreements (s106) which are essentially legal arrangements between the council and the developer.

These cover what the development will offer in terms of supporting infrastructure and mitigation for any harmful impacts important for an application of this size.

This final draft offers 57 pages worth of detail on matters like affordable housing and a town centre improvement contribution.

The contribution is a fund of up to £600,000 dedicated specifically to upgrading the Hines Meadow car park.

This follows concerns raised by councillors and residents about the car parking situation in Maidenhead in December, it was confirmed that Areli, the Nicholsons developers, would be investing in car parks.

This was a key part of the caveats offered by panel members when they granted planning permission for development in November.

This funding is earmarked for improvement of the car parks lifts and upgrades including (but not limited to) lighting, CCTV, and signage and environmental improvements.

Within the next five years, the council will commission a survey to assess the current state of the facility and define the exact scope of works.

Once the survey is approved, the council will seek best value through a competitive tendering process to ensure the money is used effectively.

Highway improvement works are also included in the agreement, including three disabled parking bays and a new loading bay in Nicholsons Lane; and a new bus stop on Broadway, plus alteration of the bus stand there.

To manage the influx of new residents and visitors, the developer will fund a new car club scheme and implement travel plans for residential and commercial zones, designed to encourage sustainable transport methods.

A public realm scheme is included in the application and the s106 document says there will be no building work until public realm areas have been agreed.

Public open space will be for use by the public at all times, with continuous access on foot or by pedal cycles but not e-bikes or e-scooters.

Controversially, the development is not set to provide affordable housing. Ordinarily, affordable housing is supposed to make up 30 per cent of any sufficiently large development.

Of the total 755 dwellings proposed, that would be 227 affordable homes.

But a previous viability assessment said Areli would not be able to afford to offer any without sacrificing its public amenity spaces, environmental improvements, or infrastructure upgrades.

However, the s106 agreement says if the development turns out to be more profitable than expected, the developer must pay a share of that extra profit to the council to fund affordable housing.

Construction of the Nicholsons redevelopment is expected to proceed in stages, and initial phases will take until 2029 to complete.

Meanwhile, town centre businesses are preparing to move away ahead of the closing of the Nicholsons Centre for good on June 9.