Muse and Homes England clear planning for £640m Slough scheme

A £640m redevelopment of Slough's former Thames Valley University campus has cleared its key planning hurdle, with councillors resolving to grant permission for a scheme that will deliver 1,539 homes beside the town's railway station.

Developer Muse and landowner Homes England secured the resolution on a hybrid application for the North West Quadrant project. The 3.6ha site has stood vacant since the university campus closed. It's now earmarked for a mixed-use neighbourhood built around a new central park.

The plans stack up well beyond housing. Alongside the 1,539 homes and a major office building, the scheme includes:

• 25,000 sq m of offices
• 3,220 sq m of retail space
• A 100-child nursery
• A community events space and play areas
• Walking and cycling routes
• 420 parking spaces

When will construction start?

The build runs in three phases. Phase 1, which carries detailed consent, covers the central and residential plots. Construction there is anticipated to begin in 2027 and take around 4 years.

Phases 2 and 3, held in outline, roll out the office and remaining mixed-use plots through 2037. TP Bennett designed the masterplan and block 1, with Grid Architects designing the remaining residential elements.

Hollie Carlile, senior project manager at Muse, said: "Securing a resolution to grant planning permission for North West Quadrant is an important milestone for the project and for the continued regeneration of Slough town centre."

Charlotte O'Mahony, project director at Homes England, said: "The scheme will deliver much-needed new homes alongside workspace, shops and high-quality public spaces, demonstrating Homes England's commitment to working collaboratively with partners to unlock regeneration, support economic growth and create sustainable and thriving communities."

What does this change for Slough?

For a town that has watched a 3.6ha site sit empty since the campus shut, the decision converts a long-vacant block into a decade-long pipeline of homes, jobs and public space steps from the station.

Muse isn't a newcomer here. The developer has spent 13 years delivering projects in Slough through its joint venture with the borough council. Its track record includes the Curve, Slough Ice Arena, the Centre, the Moxy Hotel and more than 500 homes.

North West Quadrant now ranks as the next and largest chapter in that partnership. If the 2027 start holds, the first residents could move in before the end of the decade, with the full neighbourhood complete by 2037.