Iconic bus station featured in The Office is to go

Slough bus station - as seen in the opening credits of The Office

by Emma Midgley
BBC Berkshire reporter

Demolition work has begun on Slough bus station as the Heart of Slough project to revamp the Berkshire town begins.

Scaffolding is up and the diggers are in to help start the £400m project, which will replace the iconic bus station which featured in the opening credits of hit sitcom The Office.

The total revamp of Slough town centre was given the go-ahead in December.

The project will be part funded by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and developer Drivers Jonas.

HCA will provide £11m of funding for the infrastructure of the Heart of Slough scheme, which includes the removal of the roundabout and underpass, to be replaced with a signed junction and a tree lined boulevard.

A Section 106 agreement was also signed off by the HCA and Development Securities to allow the master plan for the project to go ahead after planning permission was granted at a cabinet meeting in July 2009.

Compair House demolished

Now an office block called Compair House in Brunel Way will be demolished to allow building work to start on the new bus station.

The Heart of Slough project also involves replacing the existing roundabout with a junction. Overground pedestrian access will replace the existing underpass., and 1,598 new homes will be built, alongside 49,000 sq m of office space, a new library, shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and extra parking.

The new look Slough bus station is part of the Heart of Slough project

The initial Commissioner for neighbourhoods and renewal, Cllr James Swindlehurst, said; "Demolishing the redundant Compair House and parts of the old bus station are the first steps towards preparing this strategic site for redevelopment. Work can then start on the new bus station, which will create an improved transport hub, and revitalise this part of the town centre. Following this, work can begin on improving pedestrian access to the High Street from the bus and train stations.

"This project is now a reality, and, as I visited the site last week to witness the demolition, it is evident that progress is being made on changing the town centre image."