Spatial Strategy missing ‘heart and vision’

The closing date for responses to the Slough Borough Council (SBC) Spatial Strategy was January 11.

This is an important document and the East Berkshire Green Party (EBGP) Slough branch responded in December.

We had three principal concerns:

Firstly, SBC has recently announced a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 (ZC2030). For this they should be congratulated. However, this target needs to become the basis of all spatial planning (and all other planning) but reviewing the Spatial Strategy this is obviously not yet the case.

Secondly, there is no real detailed vision of what the town could be like in 2030 (or 2036, the date in the strategy leaflet).

It will need to be very different from 2020 – a creative, positive vision of a new ZC economy, new ZC communities, new interesting and beautiful ZC buildings built on re-greened brownfield sites, upgraded ZC homes and new ZC transport systems.

There could be chargers at every parking space, council-managed community electric taxis, a return and increase of trees and greenery, roof gardens, roofs covered in solar panels, each house with its own mini wind turbine, local electricity grids, a pleasant invasion of birdlife and native animals, new education and reskilling facilities, new behaviours, a celebration of the diversity of the residents, quality services, safe and clean playgrounds, parks, walk and bike-paths, indoor and outdoor entertainment centres, clean air, safe streets, peaceful and meditative spaces.

The current lack of attractive facilities in central Slough needs to be remedied.

It could be a ‘smart city’ town. There could be new green factories providing jobs to build the circular economy.

Partnerships with high-tech companies to use Slough as a testing ground for innovative ‘smart city’ technologies should be very achievable.

SBC could work with the employers and education institutions to ensure that degree courses and apprenticeships are available to support the move.

This would ensure that Slough can also supply the skills that are needed to support a green economy.

There should also be more emphasis on local food production and we could even experiment with ‘vertical farming where food is grown in stacked layers.

The EBGP believe that the current Spatial Strategy is missing this heart, this vision, and is consequently merely a series of tweaks to ‘business as usual’ land usage, gently continuing the council’s seeming preference for destroying nature, allowing trees to be cut down and front gardens concreted over, and building on green sites rather than brown.

The Spatial Strategy needs to show a vision for a successful town and how we get there.

Thirdly and finally, we believe the council is still hoping – unrealistically – that eventually Heathrow will be allowed to expand.

This is a futile hope. It is uncertain whether Heathrow will ever be able to return to previous levels of activity, still less expand.

The experience of COVID has changed business and the aviation industry forever.

Companies have recognised the savings of having staff work from home and attending conferences virtually. The EBGP do not believe this trend will change indeed to reach ZC2030 it cannot – until technology has advanced so planes can become electric or hydrogen or solar powered.

Perhaps readers and schools could ‘dream with their eyes open’ and send their ideas to the Slough Express for a ZC

Slough where we would all be proud to live?

DUNCAN BRINDLEY Chair East Berkshire Green Party