Slough to get a new HeART time for Ricky Gervais to move office?

Back in the press with the launch of his new series of Extras, Ricky Gervais is now the self proclaimed Podfather following news that The Ricky Gervais Show his weekly online audio program topped the iTunes charts in both the UK and the US and claims to be the most downloaded podcast on the Internet with over 8m downloads (Nubricks sigh, 8m downloads hmmm…one day…).

After Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant made Slough and its infamous Trading Estate, the dismal setting for the hit comedy The Office, it found itself on the map so to speak but not necessarily in a good way.

Slough is slowly but surely making a name for itself and has been referenced numerous times in popular literature, media and music of our time. The BBC recently aired a 4-part series entitled ‘Making Slough Happy’ attempting to bring happiness to the whole town and whilst the event was deemed to be a success, it served more importantly to raise people’s awareness of Slough as a whole. Once home town to Jimmy Carr, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Dickens, Geri Halliwell, Forrest Mars Sr. and the legendary Ricky Gervais is indicative of the diverse spectrum of Slough residents. A mini cross-section of UK society today, Slough is home to a multicultural community as a result of immigration to the area during the 1960s drawn by industrial job prospects. Slough Council also made history by electing the country’s first black female mayor in 1984.

The HeART of Slough
However life in Slough is looking up and it is the latest target for the government’s national regeneration agency, English Partnerships.  At the end of January 2006, English Partnerships announced a funding package of £17.52m for Slough Borough Council’s £450 million HeART of Slough project.

In collaboration with Berkeley Homes, designs to deliver affordable homes and Development Securities PLC, a plan to regenerate the town centre and re-use brownfield land were welcomed by local businesses and residents alike. The ambitious plans feature 22,564 sqm of office space, a revised road layout, a new bus station and more than 1,300 quality new homes. The Creative Hub is the flagship building for the Heart of Slough development funded by SEEDA at Thames Valley University and will house a new digital library, an ‘interactive multicultural experience’ and healthy living space, complemented by an Enterprise hub and Move on Space for ICT and creative industries totalling some 17,000 sqm of creative and civic space . A £3m European Equal funding to work on creative initiatives with disadvantaged communities should have a major impact on the opportunities available to individuals.

The area that encompasses the Thames Valley and West London is now a critical force in the development of the East/West science and high technology arc running from Cambridge to the Thames Valley. Investment in this corridor is critical to make the difference to enable the UK to retain and grow its international position for the future.

Slough Enterprise

As well as being the economic engine of the Thames Valley, Slough Trading Estate has always been a place for innovation and serves as a microcosm of industry in the United Kingdom and how business trends have developed. Winning the honour of being the UK’s first business park, since 1920 it has attracted over 400 international companies including giants such as 02, Mars (producing the first ever Mars Bar in 1932), ICI, Ferrari Maserati and GlaxoSmithKline. Powered by one of most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced power stations in Europe, 600 buildings support more than 20,000 jobs and the it remains the largest in Europe in single ownership. The Estate’s size has meant that Slough town has been largely insulated from many of recession effects and it currently has an employment rate higher than the national average!

The image of Slough is vitally important to business in attract good people wanting to live and work in a modern, vibrant 21st century town. The Heart of Slough project intends to meet local business demands and reflect the cultural diversity of the town in a positive light. The Heart of Slough scheme will help to create an attractive gateway to the town as well as improving its infrastructure, environment, and public recreation spaces it should radically improve the town’s image. The high rise element has been restricted along with office space to ensure sufficient room for residential provision.

Click here or Scroll up for Part Two on The Heart of Slough Project