Government inspector blocks plan for 10-storey flats in Slough town centre

Plans to build a 10-storey block of flats in Slough town centre have been thrown out by a Government planning inspector on appeal.

A car park beside Verona Apartments in Wellington Street, next to the Observatory shopping centre, had been earmarked for 29 new flats by developer CG Slough 2 Ltd.

Slough Borough Council refused permission for the flats amid fears the 10-storey block could ‘prejudice' the layout of the Queensmere Observatory centre's rebuild.

The developer appealed the council’s decision to the Planning Inspectorate - a Government organisation responsible for resolving planning disputes.

The Wellington Street site is located next to the Observatory shopping centre multi-storey car park and beside Verona Apartments, a seven-storey former office building.

It has seen three failed bids for a new tower block, including a 20-storey development of 120 flats and an 11-storey, 46-flat application, both lodged in 2017.

CG Slough 2 Ltd’s bid for a new 10-storey block, dubbed ‘Verona 2’, was lodged in late 2023 and planned for 29 flats of between one, two and three bedrooms.

Mr Owen’s appeal decision said the building’s height would not be ‘significantly taller’ than Verona Apartments and would not ‘appear as prominent in the street scene’.

He added: “For pedestrians walking past the appeal site into the Observatory shopping centre, or driving into the car park, the building would appear dominant.

“However, this is just one view and it would not be unusual, in a town centre location, for tall buildings to sit adjacent to pedestrian footways.

“It would not, therefore, be incongruously overbearing.”

A CGI image of how Slough town centre could look after the shopping centre rebuild (Credit: Berkeley Homes)

Objections from Slough Borough Council had previously focused on how the tower block could 'prejudice' parts of the design for the then-stalled Queensmere Observatory shopping centre rebuild.

Developer Berkeley Homes has since outlined a scheme to construct up to 1,600 new homes, along with shopping and restaurant spaces, on the Slough town centre site.

Mr Owen’s decision found Verona 2 would ‘not prejudice’ those plans, as it was outside the land allocated for the shopping centre rebuild. 

“The council suggest the proposal would represent a fragmented, piecemeal approach to development,” Mr Owen said.

“Whilst this may be a consideration if the appeal site were included within the allocation, as it is not, it simply represents the development of neighbouring land in a different ownership.”

However, Mr Owen did find problems with the development, as no plan had been agreed regarding contributions to new affordable housing and improvements to open space in Slough.

He said that, without an agreement, ‘the development would fail to provide an appropriate amount of affordable housing and would fail to secure necessary contributions to open space and education’.

“The proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the area, or prejudice the redevelopment of the neighbouring shopping centre,” Mr Owen concluded.

But he added, there were problems with the scheme’s ‘failure to provide affordable housing, and contributions to education, open space and ecological mitigation’.

‘Other benefits’ of the flats, Mr Owen said, ‘do not outweigh’ the issues identified in his report.