Plans approved for 212 homes at Montem Leisure Centre site

The former Montem Leisure Centre site will be replaced with more than 200 homes after councillors gave the go-ahead to plans this week.

Slough Urban Renewal (SUR) secured planning permission to build 11 apartment blocks, featuring 187 properties, and 25 three-bedroom houses despite the development offering only 20 per cent affordable housing.

This falls short of Slough Borough Council’s policy that requires between 30 and 40 per cent of homes to be classed as affordable on sites of more than 15 properties.

Katy Walker, senior development manager of the council’s joint-venture partnership with Morgan Sindall Investments, described the scheme as ‘an important investment in Chalvey’.

She told the council’s planning committee: “It will provide much-needed homes assisting in the council’s housing shortfall on a brownfield site on a highly sustainable urban location.”

Objectors urged councillors to reject the plans over fears the development will lead to more people gathering in nearby Stabmonk Park, fuelling anti-social behaviour.

Zubair Mohammad said: “We already know that Slough is a hotspot for burglaries and connecting Seymour Road to this new development will only increase that happening.

“We will see crime come back instantaneously if we do this which is not acceptable and I object wholeheartedly.”

The council’s planning officer Howard Albertini said work is going on behind-the-scenes to address concerns over an increase in anti-social behaviour in the area.

Councillor Harjinder Minhas (Lab, Langley St Mary’s) told the meeting she was unhappy with the level of affordable housing considering the council was a partner in the development.

Mr Albertini responded: “We’re all disappointed that we can’t get policy-compliant affordable housing on the site but we’re going to have to accept that viability is a factor that we have to take into account.”

Councillor Atiq Sandhu (Labour, Chalvey) said he feared the introduction of a controlled parking zone for the development will worsen Chalvey’s parking woes.

A total of 140 car parking spaces will be available for people who move into the flats, one per property.

A further 46 spaces will be on offer for the three-bedroom houses while up to 100 spaces will also be made available at the council’s former headquarters, St Martin’s Place, for parents who are picking up pupils from nearby Claycots School.

Five members of the planning committee voted in favour of the development with Conservative councillor Dexter Smith (Con, Colnbrook with Poyle) voting against.