Bracknell office space plan faces protest

A proposal for new office space and apartments in Bracknell has been criticised

Article posted: 21 Jan 2011

Plans to create new office space in Berkshire look set to encounter opposition from residents of Bracknell.

Developer Fynecast wants to build a three-storey block comprising office space and residential apartments in the car park of the town's Old Manor Pub, Get Bracknell reports.

However, the public house is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the area and people are worried about the impact a new development would have.

In addition, critics of the plan have drawn attention to the fact that much of the existing office space in Bracknell is currently unused.

"The land should be retained by the council for its current use, which will be far more beneficial than another empty office building," one resident said in a comment on the local authority's website.

Although Bracknell Town Council has refused the application, the borough council's planning officers have recommended that its committee approve the proposal.

The Old Manor dates back to Tudor times and is now owned by the JD Wetherspoon pub chain.

Posted by Dan