Half-finished flats developer fighting council order

Councillors initially gave the project planning permission, against officers' advice, in July 2023

The owners of a flats complex which was built without planning permission are fighting a council order to demolish or modify it.

Slough Borough Council demanded last month that the half-finished building in Wexham Road, opposite the town’s Royal Mail office, be knocked down or changed.

Councillors gave the 27-home project the go-ahead in July 2023, against council officers’ advice, but developers Wexham Construction did not sign an infrastructure agreement within the necessary six months.

Officers then brought the application back to councillors in May and it was rejected.

That meant the development never had formal planning permission but by then construction work was already under way.

In an enforcement notice, the council said the building should either be demolished or be used as a four-storey block for 18 flats, which was given planning permission in 2022.

A council spokesperson said it was confident it would successfully defend its order to a planning inspector, who will decide what happens to the development next year.

The council’s notice was due to come into force on 7 November but Wexham Construction lodged an appeal against it.

The firm’s director, solicitor Ramandeep Purewall, also lodged an appeal, as did Gian Purewall, Amrita Purewall and Mandeep Ajula.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact Ramandeep Purewall at the Harrow-based solicitors firm Aston Brooke, where he is also a director, but received no response.