£2.2 million in government funding has been given to redevelop the crumbling High Street car park in Bracknell town centre.

The High Street car park has been closed since October 2023 after engineers found its structure was crumbling – and not built for modern, heavy cars.

It has now been identified as one of the three sites for redevelopment in Bracknell Forest Council’s transformation of the town centre.

Consisting of land between The Ring and Market Street, 142 homes will be built in its place.

It is just a short walk from the entrance of the Lexicon shopping centre and will be close to the Southern Gateway Development area, which includes the existing bus station.

The car park land will also become commercial floorspace, covering more than 2,000 square metres in initial plans.

Executive director for Place at Bracknell Forest Council, Andrew Hunter, said: “The aim for the funding is to support the development of the former High Street car park site – which is earmarked in the recently approved town centre masterplans.

“While we are a way off from seeing homes and facilities being built, we are pleased to have been awarded the full funding.”

It comes as part of the government’s Brownfield land release fund, which has been awarded to councils across the country to use to redevelop surplus land into new homes.

Brownfield land is previously developed land that has been abandoned or not used.

It may carry pollution or be at risk of pollution, meaning it is costly for councils to redevelop for other uses.

Brownfield land differs from greenfield land, which has never been built on before.

A total of £68 million has been awarded to 54 councils, including Bracknell Forest Council and Wokingham Borough Council.

78 homes will be built with £1.1 million in funding in the Wokingham Borough, awarded less than neighbouring Bracknell.

Across the country, a total of 5,200 homes will be built across the country on brownfield land using this funding.

Land includes empty buildings, former car parks and industrial land, which can often be expensive to prepare for housebuilding.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the Local Government Association: “This funding for councils will see disused sites and industrial wastelands transformed into thousands of new homes in places that people want to live and work.

“Our brownfield-first approach will not only ramp up housebuilding but also create more jobs, deliver much-needed infrastructure, and boost economic growth across the country.”