News that plans to build The Deck have been scrapped puts an end to a story some five years in the making.

The scheme began as a plan to demolish the building that once housed the Bentalls department store and replace it with an outdoor area featuring shops, bars and restaurants.

But work was beset with delays. Now developers have said the project has become “unviable” – and are starting again with a “major rethink.”

Here’s a summary of the events that led to this point.

March 2019: The Bracknell Regeneration Partnership – a joint venture of financial services company Legal & General and real estate investors Schroders UK – agrees £30 million of investment to refurbish Princess Square, demolish Bentalls and build The Deck. At the time it is reported that Bracknell Forest Council will contribute £4.5 million to the scheme, and it was hoped The Deck would open in April 2022.

October 2019: refurbishment work in Princess Square begins

October 2020: A full business case for The Deck, compiled by planning consultants WSP for Bracknell Forest Council, is published. It warns that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the number of visitors to Princess Square and The Lexicon to fall and that the regeneration of Bracknell town centre is “at risk of stalling.” It says completing The Deck can help to turn this around, but public sector investment is needed to make it viable. It cites costs of £19.9 million, of which some £6 million is now said to be provided by the council.

November 2020: The Berkshire Local Transport Body agrees to contribute £955,000 towards demolishing Bentalls, despite concerns raised by councillors from other Berkshire councils. The money comes from a government Department for Transport fund.

READ MORE: The Deck Bracknell: town centre plans finally scrapped

February 2021: Demolition set to begin on the Bentalls building. It had been hoped that the demolition would be completed by May that year. But Rob Morris, general manager of The Lexicon, said “technical issues” relating to the structure of the building had delayed demolition.

August 2021: Mr Morris tells Bracknell News that The Deck is now set to open in 2023 – a year later than was initially hoped. He confirms again in April 2022 that the project is “on track” for a 2023 opening.

July 2022: Bracknell Forest Council applies for a grant from the government’s Levelling Up Fund to help fund The Deck. The Fund is a scheme aimed at targeting money at more deprived areas, with Bracknell Forest among those deemed to have the lowest priority. That month Marc Brunel-Walker, the Conservative councillor then in charge of regeneration, says the impact of the pandemic and rising construction costs have delayed the development.

READ MORE: The Deck Bracknell: what do residents want to replace it?

August 2022. It is revealed that work on The Deck is now not expected to be completed until 2024. This is according to the council’s bid for the Levelling Up grant, acquired by Bracknell News via a Freedom of Information Request. The council says in its application that investor confidence in the project is low due to “high levels of market uncertainty,” leaving it at a “critical point.”

May 2023. The Conservative administration at Bracknell Forest Council is replaced by a Labour Party one.

October 2023. The Bracknell Regeneration Partnership announces it is abandoning plans for The Deck to start afresh with a “major rethink.” Councillor Paul Bidwell, the Labour councillor now in charge of regeneration, says the space could be opened up temporarily with food stalls or entertainment.