Calls are growing to turn the empty former Bentalls site into a child-friendly space after The Lexicon's £150 million sale to US firm Realty Income.
Bracknell Forest council leader Helen Purnell says the 4,660 sqm plot known as "The Deck" - still fenced off opposite The Bull and TGI Fridays - could be the spot families need.
She said: "If you're shopping with children, you need a break-out space. As a parent, you need somewhere you can take a moment."
Ms Purnell added: "More and more families are living in town. The children need a space - somewhere to go." She also recalled her daughter asking: 'When's there going to be a park in town? When's there going to be something to do?'
She wants something that engages kids and gives parents a chance for a coffee: "Somewhere for children to go and relax - and where parents can have a coffee while they are entertained. And something for older children too," she said.
The site has seen several stalled plans. A 2019 scheme for restaurants and leisure in a figure-of-eight layout was dropped, and in 2023 the then-owners said the plan had become "commercially unviable", blaming Covid and rising construction costs.
No detailed plans have been published. Stakeholders are reportedly looking at temporary uses while longer-term options are explored, though split levels from the old store could make opening the site more challenging. Cllr Purnell said: "I imagine that hasn't changed."
She said she would like to work with the site's owners to bring forward a family-focused scheme.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
