Time has been called on this old alleyway (as you can tell by the ominous white planning proposals pinned to the side), as it looks like the derelict plot where the Floral Arms pub used to stand is finally going to be redeveloped. This blog has mentioned the importance of shortcuts and alleyways before, so it’s a shame to see this one go-- as shown by the picture it’s actually quite a well-trodden shortcut, with no fewer than six people walking up and down it in the half-minute or so friendly-bombs took to get this shot. The notice gives a time period for objections to be made, but since when have local objections made a difference to the Council?

 

 

PS If anyone’s wondering what the story is with the derelict area where the Floral Arms and Nationwide building society branch used to stand, the plan is to build a four storey mixed use building with financial/retail units on the bottoms and flats on top. (there was no room in the brief for one of Slough’s original Victorian pubs, so the Floral Arms came down). The planning brief is from 2008, so why exactly it has taken so long to get things moving is unclear-- surely they’re not sitting on prime town-centre land merely waiting for property prices to rise?

 

 

PPS: Local legend has it the Floral got its name after a visit to the High Street by Queen Victoria, who was looking to buy some flowers and later approved the addition of a flower stall in front of the building. The pub itself was opened in the 1880s, and the stall survived into recent memory as a fruit’n’veg stand. The pub was demolished around 2006, much to the consternation of local drinkers as it had a late license and was often the only option after 11pm for those seeking further inebriation.