Name: Plans for The Deck in Bracknell town centre scrapped
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Plans for The Deck in Bracknell town centre scrapped

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Local governmentBracknellShareMajor 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.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&nbsp;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:&nbsp;Bracknell town centre housing gets council leader’s backingBracknell 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.”Local governmentBracknellShareWe want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.Please report any comments that break our rules.Read the rules herePlease sign in or register to comment.Sort byloadingCancelAre you sure you want to delete this comment?CancelSend your news &amp; photosLoading...Loading...Automatically injected HTML goes herePiano meter debuggerData returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event.As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Local governmentBracknellShareMajor 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...

Plans for The Deck in Bracknell town centre scrapped

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