Ever since John Betjeman’s poem beginning ‘Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough!’ was published in 1937, the Thames Valley town has suffered an image problem. It was satirised as a holiday resort by Spike Milligan, dissed by Ali G and was the location of David Brent’s workplace in TV sitcom The Office.
To some extent, Slough is the victim of its own success. It was home to the world’s first trading estate, established in 1920 when decommissioned World War I military vehicles ended up there and by the end of the 1950s, 240 manufacturers had opened 600 factories and warehouses on the site.
From the late 1980s, the shift has been towards telecommunications and IT-based industries, which have joined companies operating across a wide range of sectors. Today, 17,000 people work for 400 businesses on Slough Trading Estate, Europe’s largest in single ownership. The town as a whole employs approximately 83,000 people in more than 4,000 companies and managed to escape the worst effects of the recession.
A few years ago, the ‘Proud to be Slough’ campaign – backed by businesses, voluntary organisations and the council – was launched with the aim of improving the town’s image. One of the key messages is how well the many different communities in this ethnically diverse town rub along together, with few signs of the problems that have affected multicultural areas in other parts of the country.
Slough’s ugly town centre – cut in half by the A4 and railway, and lined with offices and retail parks – comes in for a lot of stick. About £450million has been invested in upgrading the station, roads, pavements and buildings, and on creating the futuristic new bus station. The Curve – a learning and cultural centre with a library, café and exhibition space – is scheduled to open in 2015.
Local schools are another success. Herschel Grammar, Langley Grammar and Upton Court Grammar (formerly Slough Grammar) consistently achieve excellent results, leading to regular appearances in lists of England’s most over-subscribed state schools, with up to 14 pupils scrapping for each place.
Slough’s convenient transport links can hardly be faulted, accessed via two junctions of the M4 and close to the M40, M25 and Heathrow. The fastest trains into Paddington take 17 minutes and an annual season ticket including Zones 1-6 costs £3,080. When Crossrail opens in 2018, Bond Street will be half an hour away.
Much of Slough’s housing is post-war, with pockets of Victorian homes and many new builds. According to property website , house prices have remained static over the past year and the current average asking price is just under £280,000. However, Crossrail’s arrival is forecast to shake things up.
‘Slough is a very attractive option for buyers,’ says Harminder Bansil, of Connells estate agents. ‘It continues to boast highly sought-after new-build developments while preserving areas of historic property.
‘The much-anticipated Crossrail means it is brilliantly set for the future and we are gearing for a spike of interest once the network is complete,’ says Bansil. ‘Upton Court Park has some spectacular Victorian conversions and the introduction of Help To Buy earlier this year has further boosted the new homes market.’
Sunil Verma, of Hunters estate agents, is seeing a mix of first-time buyers, investors and those moving up the ladder. ‘Buyers coming from west London suburbs such as Hounslow or Isleworth are selling for £600,000 and buying similar houses for £300,000 to £400,000,’ he says.
‘One-bedroom flats start from around £120,000, two bedrooms from £150,000 and three-bedroom houses in north Slough, the cheapest area, are less than £200,000. On average, three bedrooms are £250,000 to £300,000 in central Slough and from £400,000 in Langley.’
Competitively priced new-builds shift fast. ‘Demand for new homes in Slough has always been very high,’ says Gary Ennis, of Barratt Developments. ‘We are about to launch our final phase of family homes at our Eton Green development and I understand most have been reserved off-plan, testament to its popularity.’
At Taylor Wimpey’s Waterside Grange in Langley, two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses start from £222,000. This autumn, Linden Homes will launch three, four and five-bedroom homes, plus one two-bedroom coach house at Oakbrook, also in Langley. And in Eton Wick, to the south west, Cranbourne Mews has nine high-spec three-bedroom houses by Shanly Homes in a quiet cul-de-sac, from £419,500, via the Frost Partnership.
Rents start from £650 per month for one-bedroom flats and £740 for two bedrooms. High demand has led to rogue landlords converting outbuildings into accommodation. Slough Borough Council is trying to wipe out this practice, commonly known as ‘beds in sheds’.