Heart of Slough gets go ahead
The key site in Development Securities £450m regeneration project in Slough has received planning permission.
The new library and cultural centre which will be the heart of Slough's regeneration has been granted planning subject to conditions outlined at a council meeting last week.
The 50,000 sq ft site plan includes building a library, a 180 seat performance space as well as teaching facilities and meeting rooms which can be used by council and community members.
Construction work on the new library is due to start early next year, boosting the recruitment for building jobs in the local area. The new centre will ready for use from 2012. The existing town centre library will operate as normal until then.
The design joins the new bus station which has already started being built. An internal pedestrian link between the bus station and Mackenzie Square will also be built.
The new building will be built in line with the council's sustainability objectives and construction will incorporate solar panels in the roof in addition to high efficiency gas boilers.
Councillor James Swindlehurst, commissioner for neighbourhoods and renewal told the Maidenhead Advertiser: "It is great to see the Heart of Slough taking shape and this approval is another important step forward in revitalising the town centre."
The £450m Heart of Slough development will see the 29 acre site in the town centre redeveloped to provide a mixture of new homes, offices, hotels and retail space. The regeneration was originally approved last year, but a dispute with a local church over land resulted in plans for the library and cultural centre to be redesigned.
Author: Hannah McLaverty-Williamson
Keywords: building jobs