Buying in Bracknell: the Berkshire tech hotspot where house prices are set to soar

Modern new homes are coming to Berkshire's property hotspot on the up. 
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Renata Holland15 April 2019

One of the areas in the country with its eye set most squarely on the future is the Berkshire stretch dubbed ‘the UK’s Silicon Valley’.

With a digital economy estimated to be worth well over £10 billion the cluster around Bracknell and Reading is the second biggest tech hub in Britain after London.

Firms in the area specialise in software, cloud computing and data management, drawing 40,000 workers in the tech industry alone to the area.

And the population is predicted to keep growing by over 50 per cent to 140,000 by 2036.

Why Bracknell is a location to watch

Only one hour from London Waterloo by train and well-connected to both the M3 and M4 motorways, the town is already popular with commuters. It’s also accessible to international visitors with Heathrow airport 25 minutes away and Gatwick 45 minutes.

And, thanks to a significant investment into the shopping centre, the previously unsung town of Bracknell is set to enter the spotlight in its own right, becoming a destination for people to live, work and also socialise locally.

A £240 million rebuild was completed in a collaboration between several award-winning architects’ practices two years ago, demolishing a third of the tired old town centre and bringing 70 new shops, restaurants and a cinema.

Approximately £2.6 million will also be pumped into creating a new country park with a café, play area and water sports facility at Horseshoe Lake, which is expected to attract 140,000 visitors a year.

There are more plans afoot for the future too, with the leader of Bracknell Forest Council promising that the overhaul “gives us more to build on”. A further £500 million is being invested in regenerating transport, healthcare and education in the area.

Why buy property in Bracknell?

Residential property developers are hot on the heels of this new money pouring in to Bracknell, bringing the type of stylish, well-finished new homes that local professional buyers and renters have been waiting for.

Foremost among these will be The Grand Exchange, a new development recently given planning by leading developer SevenCapital.

Having been seen as something of a poor relation to nearby Berkshire honeypots such as Ascot and Berkshire, Bracknell’s house prices are still significantly cheaper than other commuter spots.

This means that not only does property in the town promise a healthy rental yield, but there is a good chance of strong capital growth over time as well.

Land Registry figures show that the average price for new build properties has increased by 83 per cent in the past decade to £436,000. The average price of a property in neighbouring Ascot is currently almost double that at £827,000.

With the game-changing new properties at The Grand Exchange set to bring the type of homes Bracknell’s growing professional population craves, with sophisticated elegance, top security features and world-class amenities on site, there’s no better time than the present to invest in this dynamic town on-the-up.

Find out more.