Purpose

To review progress made by Bracknell Forest
Cambium Partnership 2024–2025 and to agree the updated Joint
Venture Business Plan.

Decision

RESOLVED that
 

i.      
the progress made by Bracknell Forest Cambium Partnership for the
period December 2023 to December 2024 is noted.
 

ii.    
the proposed JV Business Plan for the Bracknell Forest Cambium
Partnership as set out in Annex A and the financial budget and
forecast as set out in Confidential Annex B is approved.

Reasons for the decision

i.      
The recommendations 3.1 and 3.2 support the fulfilment of Bracknell
Forest Cambium Partnership’s objectives and aligns with the
legal agreements entered into by the partners, which require the
agreed JV Business Plan to be formally reviewed each year.
 

ii.    
The scope of the JV Business Plan has not changed materially since
inception in 2020, although it should be noted that the Jubilee
Gardens site, a category 1 site in the Members Agreement, has now
been included as part of a wider master planning of the Southern
Gateway, a category 2 site. The Town Centre Masterplan
Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) was approved in October 2024
and sets out the objectives for key town centre sites of the
Southern and Eastern Gateways and the High Street Car Park. The JV
has been in discussion with the council to establish priorities for
development of the Southern Gateway area and High Street Car Park
and is due to appoint an architect in the next few weeks to carry
out initial development options and feasibility studies. The
outputs from this work will be presented to the council for
consideration later this year. If approved, the JV will progress
further more detailed work. The council is under no obligation to
approve the initial proposals presented by the JV for the SPD sites
and can look at other development routes to bring them forward. If
however the council does enter in to an exclusivity agreement with
the JV, work to produce and initial site development proposal
(ISDP) will be progressed and presented to the Council for
consideration.
 

iii.   
Work has paused on the Depot site to enable housing associations to
assess the impact of the Government spending review in June this
year. There have been early conversations with the Local Planning
Authority to agree the approach to development on the site and the
ambition remains to bring the site forward in line with the Initial
Site Development Plan (ISDP) which was approved in October
2023.
 

iv.   
The JV has been awarded the demolition for the High Street Car Park
and had approval from the council to being high level feasibility
studies in line with the Town Centre Masterplan for Southern
Gateway. This will also include opportunities for the future
development of the High Street Car Park site. The ambitions for the
area include provision of new, high quality commercial space and
homes, enhanced public open space and improved connectivity to and
from the town centre on foot, cycle and public transport. The area
will support the town centre economy and provide new cultural and
community facilities.

Alternative options considered

Members could choose not to endorse the
Business Plan and instruct the
Partnership to rework any parts that cause
concern. However, as there are no
proposed significant amendments to the
Business Plan 2023-26 that have not
previously been considered and endorsed by
Members, it is felt that this would not be
easily justified.