Building a New Town: How Slough’s Redevelopment Approach is Creating Sustainable Community Growth

Across the UK, towns and cities are asking a fundamental question: how do we deliver growth that attracts investment, creates opportunity and improves quality of life for the communities we serve?

For Slough, this is not a future ambition. It is a challenge the town is already addressing.

With a globally connected economy, a diverse and ambitious community, and one of the most significant regeneration programmes in the region, Slough is demonstrating how an established town can evolve for the next generation.

Leading the Way in Economic Growth

The opportunity is significant. Slough’s economic strength is reflected in its productivity. In 2022, Slough recorded the highest GVA per worker among the locations measured by Centre for Cities, at £70,900 per worker; London was placed 5^th with a rate at £45,800 per worker.

The borough is home to thousands of businesses, including many international companies – Mars, LEGO, DHL, O2 and Ferrari to name a handful – and holds a reputation as a centre for technology, data infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and professional services.

This success has been built on strong foundations: Slough Trading Estate, Europe’s largest trading estates in single ownership; proximity to Heathrow; the arrival of the Elizabeth line; and excellent links to the M4, M25 and wider UK economy.

The challenge now is ensuring that this economic success translates into benefits that are felt across the whole community. That means creating more than simply buildings. It means generating places where people want to live, work, invest and spend time.

Building Great Places, Not Just New Developments

Slough’s approach to regeneration is based on a simple principle: successful places bring together homes, jobs, infrastructure, public spaces and community facilities.

Unlike many proposed new towns being planned across the country, Slough is not starting with a blank canvas. It is demonstrating how existing towns can regenerate and grow sustainably while retaining their identity and heritage.

The transformation of the Horlicks Quarter is one of the clearest examples.

The former Horlicks factory was once an important part of Slough’s industrial story. Today, its regeneration is creating a new mixed-use neighbourhood that celebrates the site’s heritage while responding to modern housing needs.

The development will deliver around 1,300 homes – several hundred have already been constructed – alongside restored historic buildings, public spaces, leisure facilities and improved connections.

But its success should not simply be measured in the homes delivered. It should also be gauged by the creation of its new community – people choosing to live, work and invest in a place with a distinctive identity – that is already vibrant.

In essence, the Horlicks Quarter demonstrates how brownfield regeneration can unlock opportunity: transforming previously underused land; preserving heritage; creating neighbourhoods designed around the needs of today.

A New Chapter for the Town Centre

The next major phase of Slough’s transformation is the regeneration of Queensmere shopping centre. The redevelopment speaks loudly to the changing face of town centres nationwide. The future is no longer based solely around retail; it is about creating vibrant, mixed-use destinations where people can live, work, visit and connect.

The redevelopment of Queensmere shopping centre, underway by Berkeley Homes, represents this shift. The approved plan is to create a revitalised town centre with around 1,600 new homes, new public spaces, leisure, commercial opportunities and improved connections.

Ultimately, it is about creating a place that supports existing residents, businesses and visitors while strengthening and advancing Slough’s role as a major economic centre.

Plans include Herschel Square, a new civic space for community events and everyday use, alongside Station Walk, a pedestrian-friendly route connecting Slough railway station with the town centre. The distinctive striped paving along Station Walk will celebrate Slough's place in history as the location of the UK's first zebra crossing, installed in 1951.

Together, Horlicks Quarter and Queensmere shopping centre’s redevelopment showcase how regeneration can provide a bridge between economic ambition and community benefit.

Turning Inward Investment into Local Opportunity

Attracting investment is essential to Slough’s future, which matters because of what it creates.

New development supports construction jobs, apprenticeships and supply chains. New homes provide greater choice for residents and help support a growing economy. New commercial opportunities enable businesses to start, expand and create employment.

The focus is on inclusive growth – the town is one of the country’s three most diverse towns – to ensure that the benefits of regeneration reach communities across Slough.

That means working with employers and education providers to connect local people with new opportunities. It means creating neighbourhoods that support healthier lifestyles through better public spaces, walking and cycling connections. And it means ensuring that growth strengthens the social fabric of the town.

Slough’s diversity is one of its greatest assets. The future success of the town depends on ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from its economic strength.

A Model for the Future

The challenges facing Slough are shared by towns across the UK.

How do we regenerate town centres? How do we deliver housing while protecting employment? How do we attract investment while creating places that people are proud to call home?

Slough is showing that the answer is not simply building more. It is better, more thoughtful development – emphasising regeneration of existing structures and brownfield sites – that revitalises an established community.

Pat Hayes, Executive Director of Regeneration, Environment and Planning at Slough Borough Council, says: “Slough has many of the foundations needed for long-term success: a strong economy, outstanding connectivity and a diverse community. Our focus is ensuring that growth delivers lasting benefits for residents and businesses. 

“Through regeneration projects such as the Horlicks Quarter and the transformation of Queensmere shopping centre, we are creating new homes, attracting investment and building places where people can thrive.”

The future of Britain’s towns will be shaped by places that successfully connect economic growth with quality of life.

Slough is demonstrating how an established town can embrace change, build on its strengths and create a more sustainable, inclusive future for its grounded community.

It is not simply building for tomorrow. It is about helping shape what the next generation of great places can look like.

Slough Is Now.

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