A developer building a major new housing project wants Slough Borough Council to give it permission for even more homes – and taller buildings – at the Horlicks factory site.

Berkeley Homes already has permission to build some 1,293 homes at its Horlicks Quarter project. But now it wants to increase that to 1,380 homes – which will involve raising the height of three blocks of flats at the centre of the development as part of ‘phase two’ of the project.

The developer told Slough Borough Council: “We have taken the opportunity to review the overall composition and heights of the consented buildings within Phase 2 with a view to improving the developments potential to deliver much needed homes within the local borough.”

The changes will mean adding new stories to eight of the proposed blocks of flats. The tallest of them will increase from 14 storeys at 77 metres high, to 17 storeys at 86 metres.

Slough Borough Council’s planning committee is set to vote on whether to approve the proposed changes at a meeting on Wednesday May 29.

Council planning officers are recommending that they approve the change. Officers say the increased heights will mean ‘some harm’ to the areas north, east and west of the site.

But they say the harm to viewpoints would not be a ‘significant increase’ compared to the plans that have already been approved.