A small solar farm could be built on Bracknell’s former ski slope near Coppid Beach roundabout, potentially saving 144.4 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Many local people were disappointed when the ski slope and skating rink closed — they were one of Bracknell’s most iconic leisure spots. Now the area is set to become a small-scale solar farm.
At a Binfield planning committee meeting on 24 March 2026 the proposal was met with guarded enthusiasm.
Cllr Hilary Doyle said: "It’s exciting. I can’t see anything wrong with it, because they’re putting additional trees up." Chairing the meeting, Cllr Doyle wanted Binfield to express support to Bracknell Forest, but other councillors preferred to record a ‘no objection’.
One committee member warned: "You just don’t know what the long term consequences will be of putting that there."
If Spirit Energy gets the go-ahead, 1,424 photovoltaic (PV) panels could be installed, covering approximately 5250 m3. The panels would be mounted on metal frames anchored into the ground to cope with the slope’s roughly 20-degree incline.
In their planning application Spirit Energy wrote: "The PV installation is predicted to generate around 641,909 kWh of energy annually which will offset circa 144.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. "The local planning authority, Bracknell Forest Council, published their 'climate change strategy 2025 to 2030' on 24 February 2025."
Spirit estimates about 78 per cent of the output will be used by a nearby site, with the remainder likely exported to the grid.
The ski slope, skating rink and Coppid Beech Hotel were built on land that had been Binfield Brickworks, acquired by John Nike in 1969. He bought about 60 acres (24 hectares) and secured planning permission in 1979 for a leisure complex, hotel, garden centre and business park. The dry slope opened in 1985, the ice rink in 1987, and the 205-room Coppid Beech Hotel opened in 1993. Nike later expanded to other dry slopes around the country.
Binfield Parish Council’s planning committee ultimately agreed it had no objection to the solar panels being installed.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
