Major plans for 'The Deck' shopping area which has long stood vacant as an 'eyesore' in Bracknell's town centre have officially been scrapped, it has been confirmed.

The area opposite The Bull pub on High Street in Bracknell town centre has been boarded off for years following the demolition of the Bentalls department store.

A vision for its replacement with a public space featuring shops, bars and restaurants – known as The Deck – got planning permission in 2019. But very little has happened since to the boarded-up area, with Bracknell Forest Council citing the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by rising construction costs as a reason why work never got underway.

Now developer Bracknell Regeneration Partnership has said plans to build the Deck are “commercially unviable.” It has now begun a “major rethink” of what to do with the land.

Bracknell News: 'Eyesore' boarding surrounding the former site of Bentalls

But some plans are already in the works and part of the space – long boarded off – could soon be opened up for pop-up food stalls and children’s entertainment, it has been said.

A Bracknell Regeneration Partnership spokesperson said: “This is not the end of the road for the area that The Deck was due to occupy, and we now have an opportunity to look at alternative proposals for the site that responds to the changing needs of the local community and help contribute to an already thriving town centre.

“We are already researching and developing new plans. It is early days for this major rethink, but we will be able to share clearer ideas in due course, with the ambition to prepare a fresh planning application.”

READ MORE: The Deck Bracknell: a timeline from start to finish

Bracknell Regeneration Partnership also said it is working with Bracknell Forest Council to find some temporary uses for part of the space in the short term – so that it might not stay boarded off for yet more years.

Councillor Paul Bidwell – responsible for regeneration – said the area could host temporary food stalls and children’s entertainment.

He said: “We know that this has been a saga. We know the residents have been disappointed that The Deck has not materialised. Things have really changed over the past couple of years. The original plan has become unsustainable.

“We’re really keen to work with Bracknell Regeneration Partnership to open up that space on a temporary basis so that residents can have access until a long-term development has been through and agreed."

He added: “We want it to happen sooner rather than later. From the council administration’s point of view we want to have things that appeal to children and the elderly alike. That could be pop-up food vans. Maybe some swings or some performances.

“Depending on how quickly we can open it up we can maybe have a Christmas-themed thing. I’m pushing very hard to get some temporary plan in place so we can have some good news because the boarding has been an eyesore.”