The Deck could be opened up to residents in 2024, a leading councillor hopes – after long delayed plans for the site were scrapped earlier this year.

Bracknell Forest Council has already said it is looking into temporary uses for the space, which has stood empty and boarded up for years, until more permanent plans can be settled upon.

Now the councillor responsible for regeneration, Paul Bidwell, has said he would like this to happen before summer next year.

He added the council will also think about regenerating another area of the town centre – known as “the gateway” – near Princess Square and the bus station.

Councillor Bidwell said: “We are pushing hard to get The Deck open. I have really strong hopes that before summer that space will be used for something that the residents will appreciate, and they will see that something that has been dormant for years is nice now.”

The hopes come after the news that plans to turn the space into a square with restaurants, bars and shops had been scrapped in October due to rising construction costs.

The scheme – part of the regeneration of Bracknell town centre – was awarded planning permission in 2019. The building that once housed the fondly-remembered Bentalls department store was then demolished.

But the coronavirus pandemic put work on hold. And things never got going again, with landowner the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) claiming rising construction costs due to soaring inflation had made the scheme “unviable.”

Councillor Bidwell said the BRP was still looking at a permanent solution. He said he still hoped the site could be used to introduce nightlife to the town – although new plans could also involve housing.

He said: “It will very likely have some housing element. The original plan was to have a nighttime element. I want to see that.

“Want to see the end of young people getting on a bus and going to Windsor – after 9pm it gets a little quiet in the town. I also want to encourage music venues in current pubs.”

He added: “The pandemic and inflation meant the BRP ran out of time and the development as applied for was no longer sustainable. As well as a temporary solution the BRP will be looking at a more permanent development.

“The fact The Deck ran out of time means yes we start from square one, but there has to be a new development because they have to make the most of that space.”