Local MP James Sunderland catches up with Rob Morris (General Manager) and Gavin Vidler (Deputy General Manager) at The Lexicon Bracknell.

The Lexicon Bracknell is a tremendous success story for the borough. The precinct has brought in new shops, attracted high street chains, and visitors from all over the UK and beyond. It has also created job opportunities and regenerated the town centre with modernisation, vibrancy and colour.

Despite the pandemic, annual visitor figures have increased, with an additional 2.1 million people entering the precinct in 2023, totalling an astounding 13.67 million visitors. The Lexicon has become widely recognised as an excellent place to go shopping, which is a remarkable achievement that we should all celebrate.

James said:

“Bracknell Forest has always been a place of aspiration, opportunity, and enterprise. With many international companies, high occupancy rates, and foreign investment, it remains an attractive location for businesses. However, we must do more to continue to attract quality employers, create more jobs, encourage greater investment, and increase footfall in the Lexicon.

“To achieve this, we need to incentivise businesses by keeping rents, service charges, business rates, and business rates competitive. We must also offer a broad range of shops for every consumer and make it easy for customers to travel by car. We can do this by effectively managing permits for roadworks across the borough, providing plenty of parking in the town centre, and keeping parking charges as low as possible. The Princess Square Car Park, managed by the Lexicon, has seen increased usage through competitive charges, while the Avenue Car Park, managed by the Council has seen a decline in usage due to increased charges. The Government's £2 bus fare initiative will help, and I will work closely with South Western Railway to ensure that Bracknell has the best possible rail services.

“Finally, the area known as The Deck must be addressed. The stakeholders should come together and unlock its potential for the benefit of the local and wider community. The provision of new shops, attractions, facilities, and activities is sure to bring even more people to Bracknell and further help to regenerate our town centre.

“I will be meeting Schroders for an update in due course, but let’s please be as visionary and as ambitious as we can. I will support any new bid from Bracknell Forest Council for Government funding and will push the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities by lobbying Ministers hard and applying the necessary pressure when the time comes. It is time to be visionary and ambitious. Therefore, I call upon all stakeholders, including Bracknell Forest Council, Schroders, Legal & General, Savills, and others, to work together and make this happen.”