Slough Borough Council adds leisure centre site to asset sell-off

The leisure centre before it was knocked down

A cash-drained council could sell off the site of a former leisure centre in another bid to raise cash.

Slough Borough Council declared bankruptcy last year, with £760m of borrowed debt.

It is hoping to selling off several assets including a cinema, DIY store, supermarket and warehouse.

The Montem Leisure Centre site in Montem Lane, which has planning permission for 212 homes, is the latest to be offered for sale.

The planning application for the site, made by the council's company Slough Urban Renewal - a joint venture between the local authority and regeneration company Muse, features new affordable homes, "iconic buildings", open spaces, and leisure facilities.

The site has planning permission for 212 homes

The council cannot carry on with its capital projects as its spending is restricted to essential services while it reduces its debt.

The site was acquired in the 1930s - the leisure centre was demolished in 2019/20 at the cost of £500,000.

The council has received bids in the region of £13.5m for the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It has also put a former music venue, which hosted The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, up for sale.

The other commercial property it wants to offload has recently dropped in value by millions of pounds.

A decision on the sale will be made by its cabinet committee for asset disposals on 13 October.