Blog

Spotlight on Slough – our estate agents view

Friday, March 8, 2019

Spotlight on Slough – our estate agents view. Home to some of the best known names in business - Mars, Amazon, Honda, O2 to name but a few - and with over £700m output in manufacturing, Slough is one of the top 3 most productive towns in the UK outside of London. The town has undergone a transformation with over £450m investment through The Heart of Slough development creating 1,600 new homes, 70,000 sqm of office space, a 120 bed hotel, bus station, retail/leisure opportunities and the £22m cultural hub project “The Curve” which was recently completed. Not surprising then that Slough was named “Britain’s boomtown” by The Observer and in 2017 it was named as the best place to live and work in the UK in a survey by employment website Glassdoor.

Excellent transport links make Slough an ideal location for those working in London, whilst looking for affordable accommodation and Crossrail (due to complete in 2019) will further reduce commuting times to London’s main employment centres. In addition, from 2020, the Western Rail Access to Heathrow will connect the airport to Slough in 6 minutes. Employment prospects locally are excellent with Slough Trading Estate (one of the largest in Europe) housing some 500 companies including large corporates such as Fiat and Centrica. It was also here that the 1960s Thunderbirds TV series was made, followed by Captain Scarlet, Stingray and Joe 90.

Public parks and play areas abound in the Slough area as do riverside walks, woodlands and natural landscapes. Named after astronomer and former Slough resident William Herschel, who discovered Uranus, Herschel Park, a 5 minute stroll from Slough High Street, is a delightful 3.5 hectare Grade II listed park, a hidden gem surrounded by the Victorian villas of the imposing Upton Park Estate. The Green Flag Award winning park has been restored with £2.7m lottery funding and local volunteer support and now provides an historic, natural setting for a range of leisure activities for local residents and visitors. Further afield, Black Park offers an Oscar-winning location as the scene where many Pinewood Studio films such as Harry Potter are shot. It’s one of the largest local country parks with 10 miles of paths around the lake and through 535 acres of woods and open heathland. The River Thames at Windsor offers more options for days out with boat hire and a picnic in spectacular countryside.

A range of primary schools and grammar schools such as Burnham Grammar School, Langley Grammar, Upton Court Grammar and Herschel Grammar are attractive for families moving to Slough which also has excellent sport and leisure facilities.

Home to the Slough Jets, Slough Ice Arena has plenty on offer from skating lessons to ice karting. Nearby Montem is one of the region’s largest leisure centres with something for the whole family – 3 indoor pools, lane swimming and inflatable fun sessions. Herschel Sports Centre provides an indoor sports hall for cricket and badminton plus all-weather pitches and courts for tennis, hockey and football. Multi-use games areas are dotted all round Slough, are accessible to all and open all year round for informal sports such as football, basketball, and netball. A number of golf courses can be found locally including the renowned Stoke Park and Iver Golf Club.

With 120 shops to choose from there’s a wide choice at The Queensmere Observatory Shopping Centre. Three miles away, Windsor offers an even wider range of independent boutiques, cafes and high street stores and, of course there are the delights of antique shops and tea rooms across the bridge in Eton. Slough itself offers well-known restaurants and cafes such as Pizza Express and Costa. Nearby Colnbrook also has several popular gastropubs and restaurants including The Ostrich and La Bettola. There’s so much more to Slough than first meets the eye and with the additional opportunities that Crossrail will bring, the town’s future looks exceptionally bright.

To see our current portfolio of properties to buy or rent see frostweb.co.uk or call 01753 820000 and talk to your local property expert.