The Peel Centre owners have 'no plans' to develop Bracknell site

That’s the message from LandSec, the owners of The Peel Centre and The Point in Bracknell.

The site has been earmarked as a potential location for 900 homes and new shops in the latest version of the draft Bracknell Forest local plan.

In the report outlining the proposal, it is claimed the site was submitted to Bracknell Forest Council for consideration as a mixed-use development in March 2020.

According to Bracknell Forest Council, the promoters of the site stated that the ‘format of the premises does not meet current needs.’

READ MORE: 900 homes set to be built at The Peel Centre in Bracknell

It is also claimed store closures at The Peel Centre, online shopping, Brexit, and the Covid-19 pandemic were all factors in the site being put forward as a potential location for a mixed-use development.

The News asked LandSec, the owners of The Peel Centre, to comment on the site’s inclusion in the draft local plan and explain why it had been promoted to the council.

In response, a spokesperson said: “We have no plans to develop The Peel Centre at this time and it is business as usual for all of the retailers.”

The Peel Centre and The Point on Skimped Hill Lane in Bracknell

The News understands retailers at The Peel Centre have been told ‘nothing has changed’ following the inclusion of the site in the local plan, and that leases will still be advertised for vacant units at the shopping centre.

Following this, the News asked Bracknell Forest Council to respond to LandSec’s claim it had ‘no plans’ to redevelop The Peel Centre.

Andrew Hunter, director of place, planning and regeneration at BFC, said: “The local plan is a process which looks to identify future housing needs and how they might be met.

“The council uses evidence to assess the best sites available to meet those identified requirements, and The Peel Centre has been included in the draft Local Plan as a future development location.

READ MORE: The finer details of plans to build 900 homes at The Peel Centre in Bracknell

“LandSec has prompted the site through the local plan process and have been in dialogue with the council about their intentions to see redevelopment of the site, confirming its availability for regeneration.”

Redeveloping the site would mean moving the existing Morrisons food store and building another supermarket where The Point currently stands.

Here's how the new residential development at The Peel Centre could look

Should the move go ahead as part of Bracknell Forest Council’s draft local plan, it is estimated around 600 of the new homes will be built in the years up to 2036.

The remaining 300 will follow in the years after.

READ MORE: Here's what LandSec said to the council about building homes at its The Peel Centre back in 2020

LandSec’s comments come as property expert Phil Brown gave his thoughts on the site’s inclusion.

The head of Savills’ Reading office told UK Property Forums: “Although it is a brownfield site, this is not like losing a redundant factory that has been empty for 20 years.

“The Peel Centre provides a service to the residents of Bracknell and I believe there is concern among locals about losing a valued shopping location.

“It’s understandable, therefore, that people would see the redevelopment of the Peel Centre as a loss for Bracknell and, on this basis, they might want the council to consider alternative ways to address the housing requirements of the borough.”

Councillors are set to approve a consultation on the local plan at meetings tonight (Tuesday, March 16).

Should the survey be approved, residents will get their chance to have their say on the proposals within the local plan from Tuesday, March 23, to Tuesday, May 11.

Following an examination from a planning inspector over the summer and winter of this year, and any subsequent changes, it is expected the local plan will be adopted by Spring 2022.