On Tuesday, 2nd February 2016, 80 year 5 pupils from Sandy Lane Primary School visited the construction site of The Lexicon Bracknell to learn all about the regeneration of Bracknell Town Centre.
Mace, the construction company on the development, offered pupils a tour of the construction site, to give them a good insight into the rapid progress of building works and the transformation of the town centre. Children and teachers also visited The Lexicon marketing suite, were they were able to view the whole construction site from high above, from the 13th floor of Ocean House. Children learnt interesting and fun facts about the regeneration, among other things, that 4,200 tonnes of steel will be used to make the new buildings at The Lexicon Bracknell.
Stewart Basham, Senior Project Manager for Mace, said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for the Mace team to capture the imaginations of these young people and teach them about the world of construction as one day we may see them working in our industry or even on our construction sites”.
Alison Hatherley, Teacher of Sandy Lane Primary School, commented: “Our Year 5 had a wonderful morning visiting The Lexicon, the children could not believe how much the Town Centre is developing, they learnt many new facts and thought the building site was “awesome”. We would like to thank The Lexicon team for their hospitality and Mace Construction for allowing the children to have this unique experience whilst keeping us all safe.”
Ruby of year 5 kestrel class said, “Yesterday was amazing, I now know that Bracknell is going to be a vibrant place. “
Simon Russian, Development Manager for Legal & General on behalf of the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership, comments: “We are delighted to meet with young people to tell them about all the exciting changes happening in their Town Centre. Children are fascinated about the sheer scale of works taking place on site and it makes them think about what it takes to create a thriving new environment for their Town Centre.”
Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker, executive member for economic development and regeneration, said: “It’s wonderful that pupils from Sandy Lane Primary School were able to get so close to the regeneration site during their visit on Tuesday. It’s really important that all of our community is involved in the redevelopment of the Town Centre – this includes the borough’s schoolchildren as they are the next generation who will be able to enjoy the borough’s new modern and cultural heart for many years to come.”
Mace have had a busy start to 2016 with another visit to the construction site by 14 students from the University of Reading in January, following their earlier visit in 2015 when they were given talks on the regeneration of Bracknell Town Centre by the Bracknell Regeneration Partnership and Bracknell Forest Council.
BRP and BFC, working together on the regeneration of Bracknell Town Centre, have been keen to engage with the local community from the very early stages of the regeneration programme. Their plans for the regeneration are very community driven, with the vision to bring people together, offering a vibrant and engaging meeting place for residents and visitors of Bracknell.
