Slough paint factory to be converted for 1,000 homes

Multinational company AkzoNoble stopped paint production at the site in 2016

Plans have been approved to build 1,000 homes at a former town centre factory.

Slough Borough Council's planning committee gave outline planning permission for the development at the vacant AkzoNoble paint factory in Wexham Road, Slough.

The factory will be demolished and a mixed-use development with industrial units will be built in its place.

Despite planning consent being granted, councillors criticised the lack of open space and the location of the housing.

A mix of one to four bedroom flats are planned for the site

Multinational paint and coatings company AkzoNobel , which owns brands like Dulux and Polycell, stopped production at the site in 2016 before the paint factory was sold for €75 million to real estate company Panattoni.

The flats planned are a mixture of one to four bedrooms and the commercial space would create more than 500 new jobs, according to Panattoni's planning statement.

Councillors criticised the location of the flats away from the canal side

Councillors on the committee criticised the development for placing the factories near the canal and not the homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

But council officers said it would cost £6m to make the land usable for homes.

A lack of open space for the number of residents was also criticised as the nearest park is about 1.4km away.

Concerns were also raised about increased traffic. Councillor Harjinder Gahir said the plans would add a minimum of 400 extra vehicles per day or three vehicles per minute on Wexham Road, an "already chock-a-block area".

Councillors will have future opportunities to improve aspects of the criticised plan, with further applications to come forward with greater detail.