Councillors in Bracknell have decided to privately sell an asset that it owns outside of the town.
Bracknell council to privately sell one of its out‑of‑town assets
Councillors in Bracknell have agreed to sell one of the council's commercial properties that sits outside the town — but the exact site and buyer are being kept confidential for commercial reasons.
Bracknell Forest Council owns six commercial sites across England, bought under its Commercial Property Investment Strategy (CPIS) adopted in 2016. The acquisitions cost £86.6 million and have generated about £3 million a year in rent since 2019/20.
The cabinet approved the disposal unanimously on 16 December 2025, agreeing to sell the asset to its current occupier at the end of the existing lease. A report says the tenant's offer was judged to provide the best value.
Deputy leader Cllr Helen Purnell, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Cllr Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands), said: “As our dear leader says, we want to keep these meetings open and transparent.”
Despite the decision being made in public, the council is withholding details of the site and purchaser because of commercial sensitivity.
Cllr Purnell also said: “The CPIS has delivered strong financial returns since 2016, helping us to protect core services.
“This disposal represents best value and reduces future risk.
“Crucially, it supports our community strategy by safeguarding financial resilience, the foundation that enables us to invest in connected, inclusive, and healthy communities across Bracknell Forest.”
A Freedom of Information request has been submitted to the council asking for the asset's address, the identity of the tenant and purchaser, and how much the sale will raise.
The six out‑of‑town assets include offices, warehouses and a retail park. The biggest office is at Sheffield Park and is used as the Contact Centre for DSG Retail Ltd (which runs Currys). The council also owns the Valentine South Retail Park in Lincoln — which made headlines in January 2019 after shoppers were fined for walking to a neighbouring retail park — and sites in Stowmarket (Suffolk), Southampton, Redditch and Northampton.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
