Nearly 700 new homes across four major developments have been approved in Bracknell during 2022, which are set to change the face of the town once construction has been completed.
This year, developers have been granted permission to build some massive developments in key areas of the borough, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement.
An S106 relates to contributions paid by developers to support local infrastructure.
Having been agreed by the council’s planning committee, work on all four developments can begin once the legal paperwork has been signed between the council and the applicant.
In total, up to 687 homes will be built, as well as ten new towers being erected in the town centre.
To view each plan, enter its reference in brackets in the search bar of the borough’s planning portal here: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/.
349 flats at Bracknell Beeches site (21/00701/FUL)
The largest of the four plans is the scheme to build 349 flats at the site of the Bracknell Beeches offices, which are located south of the train line in the town centre.
The plan, which has been agreed by the planning committee with a final decision awaiting completion of the S106 legal agreement, involves demolishing the existing office buildings and replacing them with seven new towers.
The developer, S2, made changes to the original submission following concerns raised around the height of the southern buildings and a lack of privacy, which subsequently reduced the number of homes down from 377.
This meant a reduction in the number of affordable homes, with the new scheme containing just 43 – 12.3 per cent – less than half of the 25 per cent minimum target outlined in the borough’s local plan.
Most of the flats, 190, will be two-bedrooms, but there will also be 146 one-bedroom flats and 13 studio apartments.
The plan will also see a new access provided to the station to replace the current footbridge.
Three towers with 169 flats in the town centre (21/00707/OUT)
Three of the ten new towers are set to be built on Market Street in Bracknell town centre following the completion of the Section 106 legal agreement.
Having been agreed by the planning committee, the proposal, which is a joint venture between the council and housebuilders Countryside, is likely to be returned to them in order to confirm the arrangements for affordable housing provision.
The project involves building the towers on the old Alder Valley bus depot site which has been dormant since the 1980s.
Two of the towers are outlined as residential, with a fourth closest to the council’s offices at Time Square being used for offices.
Block A, the tallest, will be 17 storeys, Block B will have 14 storeys and Block C would be nine storeys tall, with blocks B and C fused together, according to planning documents.
Block A would contain 88 flats, block B 52 flats, and block C 29 flats.
117 flats to be built at Bracknell football stadium (21/00250/OUT)
The owner of Bracknell Football Club, Kayne Steinborn-Busse, submitted plans to build 117 flats at its former stadium in Larges Lane, after the club moved to a new stadium in Sandhurst back in August.
The plan has also been agreed by the committee, with the final decision awaiting completion of the S106 legal agreement.
Having originally been refused, Mr Steinborn-Busse was able to successfully overturn the decision following an appeal by reducing the number of houses from 126.
Once a decision has been finalised, the plan is to sell the land to a developer for building to take place – which will see the new flats built across three apartment blocks at the site of the old stadium.
The club’s owner said the sale of the ground is ‘crucial’ to the club’s ambitious plans.
52 Homes following demolition of community centre at Coopers Hill (21/00233/FUL)
The construction of 52 new homes officially began this year following the demolition of the Youth and Community Centre.
The £131m development, which includes 34 new homes and 18 new flats, started last month when town councillors and developers broke ground at a ceremony.
The scheme has been created through a partnership between developer Countryside and Bracknell Forest Council.
The centre used to be the home of a number of charities and a day nursery but has now been knocked down to eventually be replaced with a mix of mix of flats, terraced houses and semi-detached homes.
Of the 52 homes, 13 (25 per cent) will be affordable – five through shared ownership and eight through affordable rent.
The first completions are expected to take place next year.
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