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Slough is changing – for the better

28 March 2017
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SUR-The-Centre

New homes, school expansions and new community and leisure facilities pave the way for a bright future.

Andy Howell, general manager at Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) gives us a detailed insight into how the joint venture partnership between Slough Borough Council and Morgan Sindall Investments is transforming the borough of Slough, through a broad spectrum of projects and initiatives.

It is an exciting time to be in Slough. So much change is underway, making the town an increasingly attractive place to live, work and enjoy. Already renowned as a hub of industry, the town enjoys superb connections, it boasts the UK’s largest industrial trading estate and it is home to some of the world’s most successful businesses. However, the perception of Slough is also changing, supported by new quality homes, excellent educational establishments and achievements and a range of new leisure and community facilities – this is making it a desirable destination not only to work, but to live.

SUR-The centre

The town really is transforming and we are proud at Slough Urban Renewal (SUR), to be a catalyst for making Slough a ‘regeneration hot spot’. From delivering new community and leisure facilities to expanding and improving local schools, building new council housing and launching our first residential housing development, our role encompasses a broad range of initiatives, which are already underway – and we can see they are already having a positive impact.

As a joint venture partnership, we are closely aligned with Slough Borough Council’s wider strategic objectives and our projects are directly tailored to meeting the council’s vision – from assisting residents to achieve healthier lifestyles to providing a better quality of housing for those living within the borough. 

We have already made significant headway, with lots more to come. Notable milestones to date include:

The Curve. In September 2016, we opened The Curve, a new premier library and cultural centre for Slough. The new building encompasses a stunning, brand new library, it also includes a café, museum, performance venue, learning rooms and computer suite. A superb facility for the town, its residents and local business too, with several rooms available for hire – suitable for anything from an informal meeting to a larger training session or conference.

In the first week alone, the new library recorded some significant success:

  • More than 7,000 books were issued by the library in the first week compared with 11,000 for the whole month of July 2016
  • 522 new members joined the library in the first week compared with 430 for the whole month of July 2016
  • 2,000 library members visited and borrowed books and more than 1,000 used the public computers 

Arbour Park Community Sports Stadium. We have delivered a 1,950-capacity stadium, 3G floodlit pitch along with function rooms and a four-court sports hall – all of which is open for use by the wider community. This award-winning community sports facility serves an area of the borough that has high inactivity levels and offers a programme of activity attracting local people of all ages to become more active, more often – a key element of the council’s five-year £35 million leisure strategy. Slough Town football club, which now plays its home games at the Stadium, is thriving at this new facility; the first team has gone from strength to strength in front of packed crowds and the team is now ranked towards the top of the league. 
School extensions. Through our local schools’ projects, we are creating more school places, while vastly improving teaching facilities and surroundings for hundreds of children within the borough. Work is currently underway to expand and improve three schools within the borough – we are extending, remodelling, and refurbishing Claycots Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School and James Elliman Academy, delivering additional classrooms and new sports facilities. Plans for an additional four school extension projects are already in the pipeline. 

SUR_Ice-Arena
Ice Arena

The Centre and the Ice Arena. Improving and enhancing the borough’s sports and community facilities is a core element of the council’s leisure strategy and it has invested significantly in a series of major projects. We are currently in the process of delivering a new £26m leisure facility on Farnham Road with a 25m swimming pool, sports hall, gym and exercise studios. We are also refurbishing the Montem Ice Arena, home of the Slough Jets. New facilities here will include a café, activity zone and changing facilities. The extension of Langley Leisure Centre and refurbishment of Salt Hill Ten Pin is also to follow later in 2017.

Small sites. Many developers are criticised for buying sites and leaving them to increase in value while local people are forced to live among hoarded vacant plots. However, SUR is forging ahead with the delivery of new quality council homes for the people of Slough, helping to reduce housing waiting lists. We are progressing with 24 infill sites, which will now be used for building new, and extending existing, council homes. In total over 120 new properties will be built in a series of phases. Work has already commenced on the first sites and we continue to drive forward this important element of the council’s wider housing strategy in 2017.

Residential schemes. In summer 2016 we launched Milestone, our first residential development comprising a collection of 73 homes, a mixture of one and two-bedroom apartments and two and three-bedroom houses. We are already seeing young professionals choosing Slough as their new home – enticed by the town’s superb connections and by the huge regeneration they can see taking place here. 

The scheme is now 90% sold and has been incredibly well received. The significant majority of purchasers here have been local first-time buyers – meeting the Council’s objective to provide housing for local people. What’s more we have actively pursued a policy of only selling to owner occupiers, ensuring we create communities. Our next scheme, Wexham Green is under construction and sales are due to launch this spring – a collection of two, three and four-bedroom houses in an attractive and leafy part of the town. 

The old library site. Now that The Curve building is open, SUR is planning the redevelopment of the old library site, which will include two Marriott hotels, 60 high-quality apartments and ground-floor retail at the western end of the high street. Located in the heart of Slough, this will enhance the high street and have a positive impact on the evening economy here. 

Slough Basin. Working in partnership with the specialist developer Waterside Places, plans are currently being developed for the comprehensive redevelopment of the Slough Basin area, including the canal and towpath and part of Bowyer Field. The delivery of over 250 new homes are planned within the scheme, along with a shop, café and community hub overlooking the Grand Union Canal. 

Councillor Zaffar Ajaib, commissioner for housing and urban renewal, said “This is all about placemaking, for many years our aspiration has been to turn the canal basin into something usable and attractive – and with SUR’s proposals we can do this.”

Looking to the future

Hopefully, these projects alone demonstrate just how much is happening and how much will change across the borough. Through our pipeline of new projects and initiatives we are making Slough an increasingly attractive place to both live and work. We are helping to improve the quality of life for the town’s residents and we are also helping to attract new people to the area too – widening the local talent pool and giving the town a new energy and impetus.

At SUR, we are committed to the long-term future of Slough. We are passionate about continuing to meet the council’s ambitious and insightful plans, which have the town’s residents and their wellbeing at its heart. We are excited to see the positive transformation taking place and we look forward to being an integral part of Slough’s prosperous future.

For more information on Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) and to explore our wider masterplan for the borough visit the website:

slough-thinkingforward.co.uk 

Slough Urban Renewal


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