Plan to replace Slough shops with 104 flats to be decided

The owners of 46-56 High Street, Slough have applied to knock it down and replace it with new flats and shops.

The site is currently made up of two buildings, one is four storeys tall containing House of Tutors and the Martin & Co estate agents.

The other is three storeys tall and contains a barber, an estate agent and one other shop unit.

The addresses 46-56 High Street Slough, which could be replaced by a new building containing four shops and 104 flats. Credit: Google Maps

The applicants Chris Connaught House Ltd and Oxford House Ltd want to demolish both buildings and replace them with an eight-storey new building containing four retail units and 104 apartments.

The apartments would be divided into 69 two-bed, 33 one-bed and two three-bed units.

Of those, 13 would be designated affordable, which is less than the 35 per cent of the flats proposed that would be in line with the council’s development guide.

A CGI of the plan for Connaught House, replacing an existing building 46-56 High Street, Slough. Credit: KKM Architects

The scheme is set to go ahead as planning officer Alex Harrison has recommended that it be approved.

The plan has received three objections from neighbours, who complained about intensified traffic and parking issues in the High Street and nearby roads, and there being no official delivery space for the proposed shops and flats.

However, in his report, Mr Harrison stated that a dedicated delivery parking space would be created in the neighbouring Burlington Road.

As for the objections over intensified traffic, Mr Harrison said: “The issues raised are wider matters which would form considerations outside the scope and remit of this application and would therefore not be reasonable for the applicant to resolve.”

The development would come with 20 car parking spaces which would be accessed from Burlington Road. Of those, 12 would be reserved for residents eight would be reserved for future employees of the shopping units and eight would be reserved for disabled blue badge holders.

Meanwhile, the new building would contain a total of 117 cycle parking spaces, with 111 for future residential occupants and six being reserved for shopping units.

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Objecting neighbours also raised fears over road closures that would be required during the construction phase.

Addressing that concern, Mr Harrison wrote: “The mitigation sought in terms of the highways works are considered to be proportionate [and] appropriate, as they result directly to the impact of the development and [are] therefore necessary.”

The scheme will be decided at an extraordinary meeting of Slough Borough Council’s planning committee tonight (Wednesday, September 6).

Specifically, Mr Harrison has recommended that the decision be delegated to the council’s planning manager to approve it, subject to conditions and a section 106 legal agreement being reached.

You can view the application by typing reference P/20153/000 into the council’s planning portal.