Windsor Road

Project Overview

This brownfield regeneration proposal transforms an approximately 0.18-hectare backland site on Albert Street, Slough. Currently occupied by a two-to-three-storey concrete multi-storey car park dating from the 1980s, the rectangular site lies within Slough's designated 'Square Mile' regeneration area. It shares its northern and eastern boundaries with the historic churchyard of the Grade II* Listed St Mary's Church, creating a particularly sensitive planning context.

Designed by FAL Architects for KGM Infra Slough LTD, the scheme replaces the existing structure with an eight-storey residential building. The architectural design adopts a contextual masonry approach, responding directly to the adjacent Gothic church through a red variegated brick façade featuring decorative checkerboard relief and diamond diaper detailing. Vertically stepped bay arrangements along the north and east elevations reduce the perceived scale of the building and create a softer transition to the neighbouring churchyard. The completed development provides 88 new homes, private balconies, an eighth-floor communal amenity terrace, ground-floor active uses and blue-badge parking.

Given the site's immediate relationship with designated heritage assets, including the Grade II Listed Slough Town War Memorial located approximately 27 metres away and St Mary's Church approximately 35 metres from the proposed development, a series of Accurate Visual Representations (AVRs) was commissioned to support the Townscape, Heritage and Visual Impact Assessment (THVIA) prepared by Savills. Verified views were produced across ten agreed viewpoints to assess the proposal's massing, architectural materiality and relationship with the surrounding townscape and heritage setting.

Planning and Heritage Context

The planning application required verified visual representations to demonstrate compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the relevant design policies adopted by Slough Borough Council. The THVIA, prepared by Savills, assessed the proposal's contribution to the townscape, its relationship with the surrounding public realm and its setting alongside nearby listed buildings. The assessment also considered strategic views from the East Terrace of Windsor Castle and The Long Walk, requiring verified visual information to support the evaluation of the proposal within its wider landscape context.

Eye-kon's Involvement

Eye-kon was appointed by the project team to produce Accurate Visual Representations (AVRs) in support of the planning application prepared by Savills. The commission comprised ten verified viewpoints, including AVR Level 1 wireline views and AVR Level 3 fully rendered visualisations, providing the objective visual material required for the accompanying Townscape, Heritage and Visual Impact Assessment.

Production Process

1 | Photography and survey

High-resolution baseline photography for the local urban viewpoints (VP01-VP05 and VP07-VP09) was captured by White & White Studio Ltd using a full-frame DSLR camera positioned at a standard eye-level height of 1.6 metres. The precise camera locations and ground control points were surveyed by Sterling Surveys Ltd using Leica Total Station and GeoMax GNSS equipment referenced to the Ordnance Survey OSGB36 datum. For the strategic long-range viewpoints at Windsor Castle East Terrace (VP11) and The Long Walk at Snow Hill (VP12), the approved camera locations and survey data supplied by Slough Borough Council were used as the verified baseline.

2 | 3D modelling and camera matching

The architectural model supplied by FAL Architects in DWG format was accurately positioned within the survey framework using verified Ordnance Survey Easting, Northing and AOD coordinates. The maximum parapet level was established at +57.05 metres Above Ordnance Datum, while the internal scene origin was offset to a dedicated reference coordinate (Easting 497500, Northing 179550) to eliminate floating-point precision issues associated with large Ordnance Survey coordinates. Virtual cameras were configured to match the original photographic lenses, including 24 mm tilt-shift for street-level viewpoints and 50 mm for the strategic long-range views, before being calibrated against the surveyed control points.

3 | Material and lighting calibration

Lighting conditions were recreated using the V-Ray Sun and Sky system, calibrated to the site's geographic location together with the date and time recorded for each baseline photograph. Architectural materials, including the red variegated brickwork, decorative relief detailing and dark balcony balustrades, were carefully developed to accurately reflect the specified architectural materials. For the long-range viewpoints at approximately 2.5 km and 6.5 km, a subtle volumetric atmospheric effect was introduced to replicate the natural haze and depth perspective visible in the original photography.

4 | Verified view production

The final imagery was composited in Adobe Photoshop in accordance with Landscape Institute Technical Guidance Note 06/19 and the London View Management Framework (LVMF). The completed package included AVR Level 1 wireline views, illustrating the proposed profile and visibility, together with AVR Level 3 photorealistic views communicating architectural materials, lighting and contextual integration. Where required, cumulative consented developments, including Queensmere Shopping Centre, The Future Works and Station Square, were incorporated as red wireline overlays using publicly available planning information.

Technical Summary