Bracknell

A landmark announcement took Bracknell one step closer to regeneration as the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) gave the go ahead to the Outline Bracknell Planning Application for the £750million regeneration of the town centre, by deciding not to ‘call in’ the proposals.

In an announcement made yesterday, GOSE said: “Having considered carefully … relevant planning issues raised by this proposal and having regard to his call in policy, the Secretary of State has concluded that there is not … sufficient reason to warrant calling in the application for his own determination. Therefore the decision as to whether to grant planning permission will remain with Bracknell Forest Borough Council.”

On February 9, Bracknell Council granted outline planning permission for the town centre in principle. Now that GOSE has decided not to intervene in the process, the Council can go ahead with consultations and legal negotiations with third parties and developers. Once these are completed, the final decision on the application can be made.

Bracknell Regeneration Partnership (BRP) and Bracknell Forest Borough Council are working to deliver the mixed-use regeneration scheme, and to create a vibrant town centre that will be the destination of choice for local people, bringing them back to Bracknell to shop and enjoy their leisure time.

BRP and Bracknell Council will continue to work together to secure the implementation of the scheme and to keep residents and shoppers informed as progress continues.

David Gregory of Bracknell Regeneration Partnership said

“This is fantastic news for Bracknell. A great deal of time and expertise from both BRP and the Council has gone into developing the right scheme to transform Bracknell into a sustainable town centre for the future.

“With the major planning hurdles successfully negotiated, work to make this a reality can now continue apace. We will spend the next 18 months completing all of the work necessary before construction work can start, including road closure orders, compulsory purchase orders and site assembly including pre-letting. We expect site work to begin in late 2007.”

Cllr Paul Bettison, Leader of Bracknell Forest Borough Council says:

“This is an unprecedented step in Bracknell’s history – we are on the verge of a new dawn as we see the town’s masterplan progress towards reality. This is a significant step towards ensuring that our residents are finally have the town centre they want and deserve with fantastic new shops, homes, offices, commercial areas, leisure facilities and landscaped public space of which to be proud.

“We all owe a debt of gratitude to our faithful traders who have stayed with the town and who now can look forward to the types of shops that their businesses deserve.”

Visit the Change Bracknell website at http://www.changebracknell.com for more information about the regeneration of Bracknell.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council