SL0, SL1, SL2, SL3, SL4, SL5, SL6, SL7, SL8, SL9, SL60, SL95

Slough,Berkshire

Essential investment information on

Property Investment Guide

Photo credit: Ed Webster

2Share

Investment

Economy & Employment

The Slough Chamber of Commerce has ambitious plans for the future, with companies choosing to locate in Slough because of the location, accessibility and excellent transport connectivity. Plus a plentiful supply of skilled workers and a competitive and dynamic business environment.

With a thriving £2.5 billion economy, Slough’s contribution to the national economy is in the region of £8 billion, double the UK average. It is said that Slough has the highest concentration of European headquarters in the UK. The locality is home to 4,600 organisations, including Amazon, Research in Motion, Honda and O2.

With new housing developments currently underway at West Central and Kestrel Place there is some serious regeneration happening in the region.

Slough has been named as ‘Britain’s Boomtown’ by the Observer newspaper

Slough is set to reap the rewards of several well funded new building projects

The ‘Heart of Slough’ project is a long-term town centre regeneration scheme set to continue well into 2018. It will replace old & underused buildings with efficient state-of-the-art multi-functional structures,

Talks are underway to create a new school and football stadium. If approved, the site at Arbour Vale will make way for new sports facilities, including a 2,000 spectator stadium, with flood-lit pitch, sports hall and playing field for St. Joseph’s School. The plans also include the provision of a new free school ‘Lynch Hill Enterprise Academy’ located next to the new stadium.

Additionally proposed are plans to increase parking facilities at the Wexham Park Hospital. If all goes well the 500 space, £1.8m investment works will commence later in 2015.

Funding will benefit three schools in the Slough area from phase 2 of the Government’s £520m Priority School Building Programme.

Sport England’s Community Sport Activation Fund has also provided £194,000 to Slough to invest in their Get Active project.

Slough Bus Station Credit: Martin Duggan

Architect’s vision for Slough Cultural and Learning Centre

3Share

TransportAir: The furthest parts of Slough are only half an hour west from Heathrow Airport, with direct access via the M4. Gatwick Airport is around 45 miles southwards using the M25 and M23, whilst Luton Airport is a mere 34 miles north, via the M25 and M1.

Rail: Slough is serviced via First Great Western Railway’s stations at Burnham, Langley and Slough. The latter is a junction between the Slough to Windsor & Eton Line and the Great Western Main Line. Services operate half-hourly to Reading - a journey which takes 2 minutes, and also to Paddington, which takes 17 minutes. The new Crossrail will also serve Slough upon its completion.

Road: The M4 Motorway winds along the lower boundary of the district, providing easy access to Wales and the West Country, and to Heathrow Airport and London in the east. It connects directly with the M25, providing connections to the rest of the country.

Bus: In addition to the Heathrow Airport service and those London and beyond, the hub of Slough is served by buses to and from all directions: Birmingham in the Midlands, Watford and Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire, Maidenhead and Windsor in Berkshire, Egham in Surrey and Hounslow in Middlesex.

4Share

Shopping & Dining: The shoppers of Slough are well catered for by the high street’s Queensmere Observatory Shopping Centre. It has easy access, free parking, wi-fi and 120 shops on offer. Also located nearby is The Village Shopping Centre, with a huge range of market stalls selling all manner of goods and produce, from the everyday to the exotic.

There is a fantastic choice of dining experiences to suit all tastes and pockets. From local chip shops to traditional restaurants and Brasseries. For Michelin starred cuisine, Heston Blumenthal’s renowned Fat Duck is in nearby Bray.

Sport & Culture: The West Wing Arts Centre has a 250 seat auditorium, dance studio and exhibition space. There are many venues in the area for such as ice skating, tennis, bowling & swimming. The Langley Centre, for example, has three indoor pools, a spa bath and a water slide.

Green Spaces: Over 250 hectares of parks, open areas and green spaces are managed by Slough Borough Council. The Green Flag has been awarded to Salt Hill Park as well as both Herschel Park and Pippins Park in recognition of their high standards.

Education

Slough has 27 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, 4 grammar schools, 1 further education college and 1 independent school.

The schools in Slough have retained last year’s ranking of 7th best in the country for GCSE results. Four of the schools among the top 100 schools in England, according to the Department of Education’s league tables.

Notable schools include:

• Langley Grammar School was ranked an impressive, 29th in the Top 100 best performing schools in England.

• The Herschel Grammar School which has around 900 pupils, and is regularly oversubscribed. Described by parents as a ‘very supportive’ school, it ranks at number 77 in the Top 100.

• Nearby Eton College which has produced 19 British Prime Ministers to date.

Further Education: The East Berkshire College with its campuses in neighbouring Langley and Windsor, has been graded as ‘Good’ with many areas that were ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Shops & Leisure

5Share

For in-depth information on other hotspots throughout the UK, see our exhaustive list of free Property Investment Guides

We believe education should be free

Click to see more Property Investment Guides

Do you want access to more information about why to invest in Hounslow – including Brett’s

expert commentary?

#asimpleidea

Download the full guide