Former uni site's £640m revamp plan gets go-ahead

A £640m regeneration scheme to "transform" a former university site and deliver more than 1,500 homes has been approved.

Homes England, the government's housing and regeneration agency, brought the former Thames Valley University site in Slough in 2023.

Its head of development, Ian Knight, told Slough councillors who approved the project on Wednesday that it is planning "transformational change" for the town centre.

The development, known as the North West Quadrant, is the latest major project for housing in Slough town centre, following plans to use the Queensmere Shopping Centre for 1,600 homes.

Homes England's project, which is a joint venture between developer Muse, also includes a multi-storey car park and an 86-pupil nursery.

The phased development will also bring forward restaurants, an office block, shops, cafes, gyms and other commercial spaces.

No affordable housing will be delivered at the site for now to keep the plan deliverable, councillors were told.

Daniel Ray, the council's director of planning, said a viability assessment was "rigorously interrogated" to ensure that was the case.

There are measures in place to review if affordable homes can be delivered later in the scheme, he added, but for the first phase, affordable housing is "absolutely" not viable.

Ray said: "We do know that [Homes England] will be committed, wherever possible, to deliver as many affordable homes as possible.

"That is within their mission statement. That's what they're doing on behalf of the government."

The redevelopment will be broken down into three main phases, with the first phase expected to start in 2027, which will deliver 501 flats and 325 co-living units.

Another 331 apartments will come forward in the second phase, as well as the children's nursery and a multi-storey car park.

The final phase, expected to start in 2034 and finish by 2037, will see a "substantial" office block and up to 382 apartments.

The former Thames Valley University, now known as the University of West London, closed its Slough site in 2010. It retains campuses in Reading, Ealing and Brentford.