BRACKNELL’S Time Square is set to be transformed as part of a £604,000 upgrade.

The ambitious transformation will see a new a café space, ceremony room and meeting area be built within the council offices in Time Square, Bracknell.

The changes are being made to transform the council offices into a ‘collaboration and community’ hub.

In full, the upgrade involves building a new collaboration space on the ground floor with a café space, a new ceremony room (for weddings and citizenship ceremony’s etc) a re-imagined reception and customer meeting area, and  a new child conferencing room on the ground floor.

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The first floor will be converted so it can be rented out in the future, and so it is available for council partners. Finally, a new board room will be made on the fourth floor, so the existing board room on the ground floor can be used for community bookings.

The changes have been hailed as necessary by members of Bracknell Forest Council’s executive committee.

Councillor Peter Heydon, executive member for transformation said: “The pandemic has brought forward changes in how we actually function and also enhanced the way in which we work with our partners, which is a genuine enhancement in how the borough works.

“We’re becoming more and more collaborative and we do need a community hub and this will enable Time Square to fulfill that purpose and at a standard which isn’t excessive but would give a good quality hub to reflect a good quality borough.”

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Supporting the policy, Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker, executive member for economic development and regeneration said: “One of the things that many residents have told me over the last couple of years is the need for enhanced facilities for groups within the community to meet within the town centre.

“I think it’s absolutely vitally important to bring these enhanced facilities into our town centre. I commend the work that’s been done in drawing up all of these plans, I think residents when they see them should be amazed by the space that’s being created.

“But more than that it’s about bringing back and enhancing facilities in Time Square.

“Rather than leaving an asset sitting there without use, this is actually enabling us as an authority to take responsible action, and to change the use of Time Square and to enable us to embrace the new world of work that’s here.”

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Cllr Dale Birch, executive member for adult services, health and housing added: “I think it’s important that our residents recognise that building is no longer the council’s place, it’s the communities place, and I think that is the important message.”

The council officer presenting the proposal said works would begin quickly if approved, and the project could be completed by the end of October this year.

The executive is entirely made up of Conservatives.

Designs for what the upgrade might look like are not available yet.