Plan to replace office with 116 flats in Slough approved

The Beacon House offices in Stoke Road, just north of Slough train station is now set to be demolished and replaced with 116 apartments.

Meanwhile, the owners of a house valued at more than £1 million have failed in their project to replace it with a new home with twice the number of bedrooms.

You can view each decided application by typing the reference number in brackets into the relevant council’s planning portal.

Office building to be replaced with over 100 flats (Slough app P/06964/016)

A CGI of the street view of the approved plan to replace Beacon House at 50 Stoke Road, Slough with 116 apartments. Credit: MEPK Architects

Housing company London and Quadrant (L&Q) has won permission to knock down Beacon House, a standout office building along Stoke Road, a 10-minute walk from Slough station.

According to planning documents submitted in 2020, Beacon House was occupied by L&Q as its base of operations for West London, South Bucks, Hampshire, Berkshire and parts of Surrey.

However, operations changes meant staff could work from home, prompting the company to apply to replace it with 116 apartments.

The project was approved on Tuesday, May 7. The new building will stand eight storeys tall, and is similar in size to the neighbouring Vanburgh Court, which was completed in 2019.

Replacement house project refused ( Slough app P/00047/001)

A sketch of the refused plan to replace a home in Langley Road, Slough with a new eight bedroom house. Credit: Floor Plan It

The owners of a home in  Slough have failed in their plan to replace it with a new eight-bed house.

The existing property in Langley Road is valued at £1.225 million and has four bedrooms.

An aerial view of an existing house in Langley Road, Slough. The council has refused a plan to replace it. Credit: Floor Plan It

The owners wanted to replace it with a house with eight bedrooms and five bathrooms.

However, the project was refused on May 7 with council planners judging the new home would be ‘bulky’ and ‘over dominant’ and result in harm to neighbour’s amenity.

Itsu gearing up to open in Windsor (RBWM app 24/00584/FULL)

The designs for the shopfront at Itsu, which is due to replace Halifax at 26 Peascod Street, Windsor. Credit: Orium

Itsu is gearing up to take over the closed Halifax bank in Peascod Street.

The sushi and hotpot chain has had plans to open in Windsor since last year.

Its planned changes to the shopfront at 26 Peascod Street were approved on May 15.

The project involves replacing the bank designs with Itsu’s trademarks, with guests being seated at ground level and staff facilities and preparation areas upstairs.

Self-build plans for four homes scuppered (RBWM apps 23/03045/REM and 23/03041/REM)

The refused site plan for self-built homes in Sturt Green outside Holyport. Credit: Community Build Sturt Green Project

A project to allow builders to construct their own homes outside a Berkshire village has been scuppered.

In April last year, a landowner won approval on appeal for four homes to be constructed along Sturt Green outside of Holyport.

However, more detailed designs were refused by the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead council’s planning department on May 15.

Officials judged that information provided failed to demonstrate how the project would be self-built and that it would be an inappropriate development in the Green Belt.