Slough Council plans to move more services into Observatory House

Plans are “on track” for the Observatory House on Windsor Road to accommodate around 3,600sq ft of office floor space on the second floor for a third-party to move into the council building this September.

The food safety team and adult social care who use that office space will be relocated elsewhere within the building.

Stephen Gibson, executive director of place, hinted some office space could be rented to the NHS, but will report more details to cabinet sometime this year.

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Cabinet members previously took the decision to lease the fourth floor to Slough Children First Limited, formerly known as Slough Children’s Services Trust, and the fifth floor to the Slough Innovation Space and Future Skills Hub.

The council predicts it will earn over half a million pounds within the next three years from rental income.

This move will also see the council move forward with their One Public Estate programme, which sees the local authority and public sector partners, such as the NHS, provide close support to one another, transform services, and reduce running costs under one roof.

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The former office buildings could be transformed such as affordable housing, just like St Martins Place.

As lockdown begins to ease more, the council anticipates most of their staff to return to the Observatory House by September 2021, if the Prime Minister’s roadmap goes as planned.

With the fourth and fifth floors, and part of the second floor to be leased, Dean Tyler, associate director of place, said the council building will be “pretty much full” when staff return from home working.

Cllr James Swindlehurst (Lab: Cippenham Green), leader of the council, added at a cabinet meeting on April 12, the authority’s property repair partner Osbornes could also move into the Observatory House.