Flats above a High Street commercial unit

Six apartments above a commercial unit in Maidenhead town centre. We acted as design guardian and client assistant, from documentation review through to practical completion.

Status: Completed early 2026
Place: Maidenhead town centre, Berkshire
Our role: Design guardian and client assistance
Scheme: Six apartments above a 153 sqm commercial unit

Visualisation of the proposed brick front elevation on a pedestrianised High Street, with a shopfront and signage zone at ground floor and apartments above. — Proposed visualisation of the new front elevation.

The place

A deep town centre plot running between the High Street and West Street in Maidenhead, with a commercial frontage at ground level. The station, shops, cafés and restaurants are all within walking distance.

Site location plan: an outlined deep plot running between West Street and the High Street in Maidenhead town centre. — Site location plan. The site is outlined in red.

The challenge

The client was delivering a mixed-use building: one commercial unit at ground floor and separate apartments above, each needing clear boundaries for leasing.

On a project like this, the design has to survive the journey from drawing to building. Our role was to protect the design intent on the client’s behalf while the scheme was delivered.

The opportunity

The upper floors could hold six apartments, five studios and one one-bedroom, while the ground floor kept a single open commercial space of 153 sqm (1,646 sq ft).

Each apartment could have an open-plan kitchen and living area, laid out to make the most of the space and the natural light.

The thinking

As design guardian and client assistant, we reviewed the documentation and drawings, helped prepare certain CAD drawings, produced visuals of the proposed front elevation, and supported the client through to practical completion.

The lease plans show how the building divides: each apartment, the shared areas of the building, and the communal cycle and bin stores.

Apartment boundariesCommonhold boundariesCommunal cycle storeCommunal bin store

Ground floor lease plan showing the commercial unit, the cycle store and the bin store. — Ground floor lease plan: the commercial unit and communal stores.

First floor lease plan showing apartments 1, 2 and 3. — First floor lease plan: apartments 1, 2 and 3.

Second floor lease plan showing apartments 4, 5 and 6. — Second floor lease plan: apartments 4, 5 and 6.

Third floor lease plan showing the upper level of apartment 4 and four rooflights. — Third floor lease plan: the upper level of apartment 4.

The outcome

The building was completed in early 2026.

Six apartments of 38 to 52 sqm across the first to third floors, one with a 19 sqm upper level.
A 153 sqm commercial unit at ground floor, in a single open space.
A town centre address within walking distance of the mainline station.

The completed apartments

The one-bedroom apartment as completed: an open-plan kitchen and living area, a bedroom and a tiled shower room.

Open-plan kitchen and living area of the completed apartment, with a grey sofa, a breakfast bar with three stools and a pale wood floor. — The completed open-plan kitchen and living area.

White kitchen with a built-in double oven, pale tiled splashback and white worktops. — The kitchen.

Living room with a grey corner sofa and two diamond-shaped windows in the end wall. — The living room, with diamond-shaped windows.

Bedroom with a double bed, oak furniture and a tall white radiator. — The bedroom.

Shower room with large marble-effect tiles, a walk-in shower and a heated towel rail. — The shower room.

Every project starts somewhere.

Wherever you are in the process, we’d like to understand what you’re trying to achieve and help you consider what comes next.

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