A RESTAURANT has had its low rent scrutinised by an opposition council leader.

During a full council meeting last Tuesday, the leader of the council, James Swindlehurst, asked the council to approve an extension to the Kashmiri Karahi restaurant, in Salt Hill Park.

But Cllr Wayne Strutton, leader of the Tories, challenged the extension. He said: “The restaurant seems to be paying exceptionally low rent.

“The building has had rent below £8,000 for over 20 years. A private business should not get away with paying below market rate.”

Salt Hill Park restaurant, Kashmiri Karahi, pays £7,700 a year to the council, and the site itself has not had an increase since 2005, when the rent went up by £1,200.

In documents, seen by The Observer, the lease came into existence in 1995, but the 2005 increase is the only hike it has had in 22 years. However, the current owners only took hold of the lease in 2008.

The building has a rateable value of £23,500 and is on land which belongs to the Salt Hill Park Trust – which is made up of Slough Borough Councillors.

The normal rent for a restaurant in the area would be between £20,000-£40,000, according to Slough estate agents APTUS.

Cllr Swindlehurst, said: “I’m happy to have a consultation with you and the proprietors. They are due a rent review in April 2020 – we can look at their rent then. But they have done significant work to the inside of the building, and there are other factors, like the lack of passing trade, that they can’t sell alcohol, and competition with the bowling alley.”

At vote, 31 voted in favour of the extension, with eight against and two abstentions.

Restaurant owner Naz Hussain, 41, of Chalvey, said: “We invested over two years and half a million pounds in renovating this place. We’ve turned Salt Hill Park around.

"We installed CCTV, public toilets, crime has gone down, and our care for the park is what lead to the Green Flag awards. I’m Slough born and bred. I only do all this because I care. I’m shocked he’s saying these things."