Maidenhead Toothpaste Factory: Warehouse Vote on 17 Sep

Updated 29 September: councillors approved the warehouses 5-0 on 17 September, with extra conditions on waiting lorries, and refused the 62 Costain House flats against officer advice. Read the outcome.

The former toothpaste and mouthwash factory on Norreys Drive in Maidenhead could be knocked down and replaced with three warehouses. Councillors on the Maidenhead Development Management Committee decide the application on Thursday 17 September, and planning officers recommend approval.

The site covers about 3.8 hectares on the south side of Norreys Drive, next to the A404(M). The application still gives the address as Glaxo Smithkline. The council’s report says the factory was last run by Haleon, which made toothpaste and mouthwash there around the clock on two 12-hour shifts, and that Haleon left in March 2026. (Committee report, 26/01344/FULL)

The applicant is the developer Firethorn. The meeting starts at 6pm in the Council Chamber at Maidenhead Town Hall and is also shown on the council’s YouTube channel. The deadline to register to speak was noon on Monday 14 September. (Agenda, Maidenhead Development Management Committee, 17 September 2026)

What would replace the factory

The existing building is about 19,064 square metres, or 30,079 square metres counting its mezzanines and ancillary structures. Its tallest part is about 26.5 metres high and the silo tanks reach 20.5 metres. The plans would put back almost exactly the same floorspace, in lower buildings:

The total is 19,175 square metres. Each unit would be usable for general industry (B2) or storage and distribution (B8), with offices, a service yard, 147 car parking spaces between them and 114 cycle spaces. Demolition would be phase one and construction phase two. (Committee report)

The site is a Protected Employment Site in the Borough Local Plan, which is the main reason officers support it: the land stays in business use. The report forecasts 522 vehicle trips a day, 32 in the morning peak and 28 in the evening peak, which it calls “a reduction against the historic use of the site”.

The jobs claim

The applicant says the warehouses could support up to 530 full-time jobs, plus up to 80 during construction. The report puts the benefit at up to £17.6 million in gross value added and £550,000 of local spending each year.

Maidenhead Civic Society told the council that Haleon employed 435 people on the site. It questioned whether 147 parking spaces and the planned toilets could serve 530 staff, and said there was no evidence the construction workers would be local. Officers propose a condition requiring an employment and skills plan, with recruitment through Jobcentre Plus and East Berkshire Community Learning and Skills Service, work trials and pre-employment training.

Noise and lorries: what residents raised

The council notified 65 neighbours directly. One resident wrote in, from Suffolk Road. They described themselves as a former employee who had dealt with noise complaints. Their points included:

• the site sits in a hollow that carries noise up the hill to Suffolk Road and Curls Road
• Haleon, they said, voluntarily kept traffic off the site from 9pm to 8am on weekdays, from noon on Saturdays and all day Sunday
• a 24-hour warehouse would bring alarms, bin movements and lorries through the night
• the 7A bus was withdrawn in June or July 2026, so early and late shift workers would drive

The Civic Society added concerns about lorries using the small roundabouts on Shoppenhangers Road and at the A404(M), the narrow bends on Harvest Hill Road, and the 4-metre railway bridge on Norden Road.

Officers point out that the factory already had no restriction on its hours of operation, and the recommended conditions do not add one. Instead they include:

• 2.4-metre acoustic fences along the yards facing Norreys Drive
• white-noise reversing alarms on any vehicle or plant used on site between 8pm and 8am
• a delivery and servicing management plan before anyone moves in
• demolition and building work only from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, never on Sundays or bank holidays
• a construction lorry route that keeps HGVs away from the Norden Road low bridge

National Highways, the council’s highways team, the Environment Agency and Thames Water all raised no objection. The Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce wrote in support.

Same meeting: 62 flats at Costain House with no affordable homes

The committee also decides a second big scheme in the same ward, Oldfield, just to the west on Vanwall Business Park. Zake Maidenhead Limited wants to build a five and six-storey block of 62 flats on part of the empty car park at Costain House, off Vanwall Road. (Committee report, 26/01400/FULL)

• 8 studios, 22 one-bedroom, 28 two-bedroom and 4 three-bedroom flats
• all 62 for private sale, with no affordable homes
• 37 car parking spaces and 97 cycle spaces
• up to 17.1 metres at its tallest

Council policy would normally ask for 30% affordable housing, which here would be 19 homes. The developer’s viability study, checked independently for the council, found the scheme would run at a deficit of £2,397,331 even with none. Officers accept that and propose early and late-stage reviews so the council can claim a contribution if values rise.

The council’s own highways team objected. It said the 2026 parking standards require 66 spaces, and asked for the shortfall to be fixed before a decision. Officers disagree, citing a forecast demand of about 48 cars, a car club vehicle and easy access to Maidenhead station. Officers still recommend approval. No letters from residents were received.

What it means for you

• If you live near Norreys Drive or Kendall Place, the conditions above are what would govern demolition noise, lorry routes and night-time reversing alarms. There would be no cap on operating hours. If permission is granted, breaches of conditions can be reported to the council’s planning enforcement team.
• If you are looking for work, the employment and skills plan would be written before construction starts, and would route recruitment through Jobcentre Plus.
• To watch the decision, the meeting is on the council’s YouTube channel from 6pm on Thursday. Both applications can be read in full on the agenda page.

We have reported the outcome of both votes. Every planning decision in the borough is tracked on our Windsor planning news page.