Five Bracknell Forest homes and regeneration plans from 2019

But a number of plans unveiled this year could still see the town and the borough transform in a drastic way.

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As 2019 draws to a close, the News has taken a look at the most talked-about plans revealed in the last twelve months.

4,000 homes planned for Jealott’s Hill

What’s the plan? As part of its updated local plan, Bracknell Forest planning chiefs have earmarked part of the site of multi-national tech company Syngenta in Warfield to build 4,000 new homes on green belt land.

More than 1,000 of these would be made affordable if the proposal advances.

What’s the latest? The latest round of consultation concluded in the first week of December and planning chiefs are now considering residents’ responses.

More than 2,000 residents have signed a petition opposing the plans, and The Campaign for Rural England blasted the proposal because going ahead with the building work would mean an “irreversible loss” of green space.

When could work be completed? Should the site be included in the final local plan and planning permissions granted for the proposal, the first houses could be ready by 2027, with all 4,000 hoped to be finished by 2049.

More town centre regeneration

What’s the plan? Back in February, Bracknell Forest Council’s (BFC) top team gave the green light to contribute £4.5 million of its money towards refurbishing Princess Square and developing The Deck.

The latest round of town-centre regeneration will see Princess Square become a ‘modern, light, bright and airy centre’ with new escalators and lift lobbies.

The Deck is set to be a ‘covered public space’ featuring new food and retail units, having been converted from the former Bentalls store.

What’s the latest? After a six-month period of silence, work started on refurbishing Princess Square in the second week of October.

The first stage of the revamp saw work on the centre’s escalators get underway.

When could work be completed? Details given at the start of the year suggest work involving The Deck should start in 2020, with designers aiming to complete this round of regeneration by 2022.

700 homes in the town centre

What’s the plan? Also back in February - BFC’s executive kickstarted a joint venture process which could see Jubilee Gardens, Market Street and Coopers Hill make way for 700 homes, new offices, hotels and community facilities.

BFC is looking to take forward this project in a 50-50 partnership with a developer.

What’s the latest? Campaigners are unhappy with the plans as building work would mean knocking down Coopers Hill Community Centre - a space residents say is a “much-loved” and “perfect” facility.

BFC chiefs drew up a shortlist of their preferred partners in October after developers submitted their applications earlier in the year.

When could work be completed? A partner is expected to be awarded the contract in June 2020.

No details on when this round of regeneration could be complete have been revealed yet, but bosses hope to get development underway in 2021.

Horseshoe Lake becoming a country park

What’s the plan? First details about this proposal - which outlined plans for a new pavilion, cafe, a natural play area and more to be added to Sandhurst’s popular countryside space - were actually unveiled at the back end of 2018.

The plan was to invest £2.6 million into the site to create a country park which would attract up to 150,000 visitors annually and generate around £260,000 in income every year.

What’s the latest? The proposal has now been scaled back after increasing public pressure.

Sandhurst residents told the News about their concerns over accessibility to the site, entrance and parking fees and claims the council was being “less than open with its intentions” for the site.

So, what now? The proposals haven’t been totally scrapped - as part of its latest update on the plans, council chiefs said they were looking at the possibility of adding a nature-themed child’s area and a seasonal cafe rather than a permanent one.

A new youth centre in the town centre

What’s the plan? Last year BFC committed £750,000 towards developing a new youth centre for Bracknell town, with plans being developed in greater detail in 2019.

What’s the latest? The ground floor of Braccan Walk Car Park was chosen as the site for the centre in July 2019.

Youngsters were set to meet with designers in the following months to help develop ideas for how the centre should look and what it should feature.

When could work be completed? BFC’s budget report for the next financial year suggests the new facility could be open by September 2020, with running costs expected to come to £40,000 over the next two years.