MP Peter Swallow recently visited Barn Close in Bracknell as housing provider Abri nears completion on providing 25 much needed social rent homes for the local community.
Peter was shown around the 24 apartments and one chalet bungalow (which is fully wheelchair compliant) as Abri provides the finishing touches to the homes. A mixture of one- and two-bedroom homes, they will be ready for occupation from February 2027 and allocated to people nominated from Bracknell Forest Council’s housing needs register.
“Bracknell residents deserve high-quality social housing, and that is what the Barn Close development provides. I welcome Bracknell Forest Council and Abri pushing ahead to get these new homes delivered for local families.
“Too many people in Bracknell Forest are struggling to access affordable housing. Alongside councillor colleagues, I'll keep pushing for us to deliver more social homes for local people.”
Peter Swallow
MP for Bracknell
Barn Close is part of Abri's wider development programme across Bracknell and neighbouring communities. Its £150 million investment pipeline of 470 affordable new homes in the area aims to help address local housing need and support Labour's pledge to build 1.5 million homes.
“Walking around Barn Close and seeing how close it is to completion brings to life just how Abri is helping local people in Bracknell to live in warm high-quality affordable homes.
“Abri is committed to deliver 20,000 new homes by 2036, which includes making a positive difference across Bracknell and the region. We aim to do this through our existing pipeline of homes and by seeking to secure future development and regeneration opportunities that tackle ongoing local housing need.”
Dasos Christou
Regional Managing Director (South East) at Abri
Barn Close is being built by Abri’s in-house construction team, with funding support from Homes England, alongside contributions from Bracknell Forest Council.
Other sites under construction include; Bay House which is just next door to Barn Close and will provide 32 social rent homes from 2028; Market Street (as part of Bracknell Forest Cambium Partnership) providing 169 homes of which 81 are affordable and ready from early 2027 and Coopers Hill – 13 affordable homes also part of the Bracknell Forest Cambium Partnership, which were completed in November last year.
In addition to the homes under construction, Abri has several developments in the pipeline to further support the local community. At Merryhill Road, 11 new homes are planned, including six two-bedroom houses and five three-bedroom houses, one of which will be built to full wheelchair-accessible standards. At Shepherds Lane, eight homes are proposed, comprising four two-bedroom houses, three three-bedroom houses, and a fully wheelchair-accessible two-bedroom bungalow. Abri has also submitted a planning application for the regeneration of its Hambleden and Hurley site, which would deliver 106 new homes as part of a wider redevelopment plan.