Developers behind a controversial block of flats built without planning permission on Wexham Road have been ordered to demolish it by Slough Borough Council.
Although not complete, the structure already stands some six storeys tall, opposite the Royal Delivery office and towering over neighbouring homes.
Now council planning officers have ordered the developers Wexham Construction Ltd to take it down. They say it creates an ‘overwhelming sense of enclosure and overlooking’ on houses next door, causing ‘significant and demonstrable harm’ to neighbours.
The enforcement notice was issued on Wednesday, October 9, and comes after more than a year of twists and turns.
Councillors on Slough’s planning committee initially gave approval to the towering 27-home development – reaching as tall as six storeys – in July last year. The vote meant formal planning permission would be granted once all necessary legal agreements were signed.
That was against the advice of the council’s own planning officers, who said it would create ‘an overwhelming sense of enclosure and overlooking’ towards neighbouring houses.
Conservative councillor Adil Iftakhar – who was chairman of the planning committee at the time – dismissed officers’ objections as ‘outdated’ and a ‘generic reason for refusal’.
He voted to approve the extension along with other Conservative councillors Nadeem Khawar, Gurchuran Manku and Zafar Satti. Only three others voted against – Labour councillors Martin Carter, Harjinder Gahir and Pavitar Mann. Liberal Democrat councillor Asim Naveed abstained.
Yet formal planning permission wasn’t granted as Wexham Construction Ltd failed to sign an agreement to contribute to the costs of new infrastructure to support the development within a six month time frame.
Such agreements are a normal part of the planning process and have to be signed for formal permission to be granted.
With the deadline past, planning officers brought the application back to the planning committee in May this year – again recommending that it be refused.
By that time, all the councillors who previously voted to approve it had been replaced on the committee. This time the committee voted to reject the application – meaning it never had planning permission.
But by this point construction work was already underway. In the enforcement notice the council says the building should either be demolished or made to fit with plans for a smaller block of flats of up to four storeys that was granted planning permission in 2022.
The enforcement notice will take effect from November 7, but the Observer has already seen scaffolders at work on site.
Wexham Construction and Slough Borough Council's planning department were given the opportunity to comment.
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