Homes England buys former Thames Valley University site

Plans to accelerate the creation of the place-changing North West Quadrant (NWQ) destination in Slough have taken a step forward with the acquisition of the former Thames Valley University site by Homes England.The site has been bought from the beleaguered Slough Borough Council, with Homes England now joining forces with Muse to engage in an extensive engagement programme that is anticipated to start in the summer.Muse has been Slough Borough Council’s partner in its Slough Urban Renewal joint venture for the past decade, and has been working on the NWQ site for a number of years.Chris Scott, development director at Muse, said: “As a business, we’re committed to finding sustainable solutions to deliver place-changing regeneration that benefits communities across the UK in any way we can.”This deal in Slough with Homes England is a perfect example of how strong partnerships between the public and private sector, can overcome challenges to achieve shared goals.”For the past decade, through our Slough Urban Renewal joint venture, we have already successfully created much-needed affordable homes and a number of amenities, such as schools, leisure and sporting facilities in the town.”We’ve also secured planning on the Stoke Wharf and Montem Lane sites, which will bring forward an additional 500 mixed-tenure homes.”He added: “Slough’s a fantastic town, rich in history, and we’re delighted to reach an important milestone that’s secured the future of the North West Quadrant and we look forward to engaging with the local community and key stakeholders again soon.”Ken Glendinning, national director – acquisitions and partnering at Homes England, said: “The acquisition of the former Thames Valley University site is an important milestone in the creation of the North West Quadrant destination.”Our role is to connect local places and the private sector to support the creation of new, quality homes and we’re pleased to build on our long-standing partnership with Muse to bring forward this key town centre site.”Council leader James Swindlehurst added: “The council has spent months negotiating the details of this successful sale to Homes England of the former TVU site.”As a specialist regeneration organisation Homes England already has existing projects it has completed with Muse, so they will be able to hit the ground running to move forward the redevelopment of this major town centre site.”