Bringing factory site ‘back to life’
Slough: Development of former Horlicks site under way
Construction work on the multi-million pound transformation of the former Horlicks Factory site is prog ressing.
Developer Berkeley Homes offered a behind-the-scenes look at the 12-acre site in Stokes Poges Lane this week which is set to include up to 1,300 homes.
Restoration work is ongoing within the vast factory building with 150 flats planned alongside ground-floor community facilities including a gym, nursery and co-working space.
A glass rooftop is expected to be installed on the redbrick building while the site’s iconic chimney and clock tower will be retained.
Berkeley’s design director for the scheme, Dave Taylor, said the developer wanted to bring the factory ‘back to life’ in its redevelopment plans.
He said: “The factory closed several years ago and we wanted to keep this as an iconic piece of the town and celebrate it with the buildings and spaces that we put around it.”
Once the rubble is cleared, a community square will be built in Clocktower Place featuring a cafe, public open spaces and water features in the nearby Aquifer Gardens.
Berkeley said these features will be fed by one of the original wells which provided ground water to the Horlicks Factory while it was in operation.
The Sir William Reid Dick war memorial is also being restored and will form the centrepiece of the development’s Memorial Square, which sits at the entrance to the factory building.
Two new-build apartment blocks, Darjeeling House and Artesian House, are expected to be the first on the market, with prices for onebed properties starting at £260,000 and £275,000 respectively.
Deana Everingham, regional sales and marketing director at Berkeley Homes, said she expected to see a mix of people living at the development.
She said: “There will be local people who currently live and work in Slough and there’s a strong interest coming from the local demog raphic.
“I think there will be youngsters that work in Slough that actually can buy their own home rather than renting and I think it will attract people that work in London who only need to go in one or two days a week.”
Only 439 car parking spaces are planned for the site but the project’s design director said the development will be a big part of
Slough’s push towards more sustainable transport.
Cycleways, bicycle parking spaces and car clubs are all expected to be introduced in a bid to encourage people away from private car use.
Slough Borough Council chief executive Josie Wragg joined councillors and Berkeley Group directors on a tour of the site on Tuesday.
She said: “This superb new development will not only deliver much needed private and affordable housing, but also public green spaces, biodiversity and community facilities, key elements of our vision to create a sustainable new neighbourhood.”