Approval lined up for former AkzoNobel plant project

Plans to work on a former AkzoNobel paint and manufacturing facility in Slough in a bid to prepare it for a future commercial redevelopment look set to be backed.The site on Wexham Road has been used for the manufacture of paints and varnishes since the early 1920s.More widely, it lies in a long-established industrial area into which, more recently, a mix of commercial uses have been introduced to the east, west and north.It currently incorporates six former industrial buildings including a single-storey fuel store, a five-storey and two-storey office building, together with a further two and three-storey industrial building.All of the buildings are currently vacant, while the ground is “mostly made up of hard standing”.The planning application comprises the enabling works required to prepare the site for the delivery of a future data centre campus, with digital infrastructure giant Equinix – which already has a strong presence within Slough Trading Estate, with eight world-class facilities – behind the proposals.• demolition of the existing buildings, structures and hardstanding• works to complete the decontamination of the siteA statement submitted as part of the application said: “The proposed enabling works will assist in preparing the site for redevelopment, allowing the site to deliver a data centre campus in compliance with the council’s vision set out in the Slough Inclusive Growth Strategy, and in so doing provide growth in an area of strong economic activity while creating both direct and indirect jobs within the borough.”The application will “effectively facilitate the completion of the demolition and decontamination of this remaining part of site following similar works allowed under a prior approval application in 2019”, added a report drawn up ahead of Slough Borough Council’s planning committee meeting on 29 November.