Bracknell is the third largest town in Berkshire and the westernmost area of the Greater London Urban Area, 11 miles east of Reading. It grew from two small market villages into a brick-making town and then, in the twentieth century, a New Town, planned first for 25,000 people and expanded in the 1960s for 45,000. Wikipedia now calls it a busy commercial centre within the so-called Silicon Thames Valley and the UK headquarters for several technology companies.
We arrange business mortgages for trading companies buying or refinancing their own premises in Bracknell. We are a broker and never lend. This is finance against a company's working building, not a residential mortgage.
Which premises do Bracknell, UK companies buy with premises finance?
The roll call of occupiers is heavy on technology: 3M, Panasonic, Fujitsu, Dell, HP Inc., Micron Technology, Siemens, Honeywell and Broadcom among them, with Honda also based here. Waitrose's head office and 70-acre central distribution centre sit in the Southern Industrial Area, where the business has operated since the 1970s. Manufacturing has largely disappeared since the 1980s, and Wikipedia notes that many businesses are located on the town's three industrial areas.
The owner-occupiers we speak to are smaller firms in that ecosystem: IT support and software businesses buying a self-contained office, electronics and engineering firms buying a light industrial unit, and distribution and trade suppliers buying warehouse space. The principles are on our owner-occupier mortgage page.
Bracknell Forest's builders and software houses
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Bracknell Forest local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Bracknell share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 890 | 16.4% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 830 | 15.3% | 13.9% |
| Information and communication | 595 | 11% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 570 | 10.5% | 8.1% |
| Retail | 410 | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 260 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 250 | 4.6% | 5.6% |
| Personal and other services | 225 | 4.1% | 4.1% |
| Wholesale | 205 | 3.8% | 3.7% |
- 2.1xsoftware and IT services440 businesses
- 1.4xsecurity services40 businesses
- 1.4xspecialist building trades605 businesses
- 1.4xcleaning and facilities management190 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Bracknell Forest has a sharper split than most towns. Construction and building trades are 16.4% of local firms against 12.5% across the UK, and specialist contractors such as electricians and fit-out firms run at 1.44 times the national share. At the same time, computer programming and consultancy sits at 2.08 times the UK rate. The first group usually wants a unit with yard space, the second a small office suite, and both can be bought with an owner-occupier mortgage priced on the firm's trading record. Of the 5,430 units, 85% are micro businesses with fewer than ten staff.
How do the A329(M), M3 and M4 shape a business property loan in the Bracknell area?
Bracknell sits at the end of the A329(M), midway between junction 3 of the M3 and junction 10 of the M4. Two stations, Bracknell and Martins Heron, are on the Waterloo to Reading line, and commuters travel both ways. For an industrial occupier that dual motorway access is the main draw, and it is the sort of thing a valuer weighs when judging whether a unit would relet quickly if the business moved on.
The town's history also shows how buildings get reused. Arlington Square, a 22-acre business park, occupies the former British Aerospace site, and 3M's town-centre Winchester House was replaced by flats after the company moved to Farley Wood in 2004. Lenders prefer buildings that could serve another occupier without major works.
Rated property in Bracknell since 2016
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Figures for the Bracknell Forest council area. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse440properties on the rating listUp 4.8% since 2016Average rateable value £69,500factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices830properties on the rating listDown 1.2% since 2016Average rateable value £46,100offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail550properties on the rating listUp 5.8% since 2016Average rateable value £49,600shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial740properties on the rating listUp 25.4% since 2016Average rateable value £48,000pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Bracknell estates and parks: Longshot Lane, Bilton and more
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Bracknell, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Garth Business ParkWarfield, Bracknell RG42 2EX
- Longshot Lane Industrial EstateBinfield, Bracknell RG12 1RL
- Longshot Industrial EstateBracknell RG12 1RL
- Bilton Industrial Estate13 Lovelace Rd, Bracknell RG12 8YT
- Newlands Farm Industrial EstateWokingham RG40 3BU
- Holme Grange Business ParkWokingham RG40 3AW
- Ascot Business ParkAscot, Berkshire SL5 9FE
- Rushton Farm Business ParkWokingham RG40 5RE
- Mayfield Light Industrial EstateAscot
- Mare Lane Business ParkBracknell RG42 5BF
- Hall Grove Farm Industrial EstateBagshot GU19 5HZ
- Winnersh Triangle Business Park
Office numbers in Bracknell Forest have edged down 1.2% since 2016, while shops are up 5.8% and industrial units up 4.8%. The largest change is in other property, up 25.4%. Industrial space averages £69,500 in rateable value against £46,100 for offices, so the typical warehouse here is rated well above the typical office, and a valuation will usually echo that gap.
What will owning business premises in Bracknell, England cost?
Indicative owner-occupier pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, with loans usually at 70 to 75% of value and arrangement fees of 1 to 2%. Stamp Duty Land Tax is charged at 0% on the first £150,000, 2% to £250,000 and 5% above (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. An electronics distributor buys an industrial unit on the Western Industrial Area for £800,000. A 75% loan is £600,000, the deposit £200,000, and SDLT £29,500, so around £229,500 in cash before fees. Security is a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, and Bracknell Forest Borough Council holds the planning record. Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm. More on the county is on our Berkshire page, and tax detail in our stamp duty guide.
Bracknell's estates and business districts
Southern Industrial Area
South of the railway, this estate holds Waitrose's head office and central distribution centre on a 70-acre site. Around that anchor are distribution, trade and light industrial units, the kind of space local firms buy when they want a loading door, parking and quick access to the A329(M).
Western Industrial Area
The Western estate sits just west of the town centre, on the other side of the railway line from the Southern estate. Racal Communications once had a site on Western Road. Today it suits engineering, storage and trade businesses buying units close to the town centre and station.
Arlington Square
Built on the former British Aerospace site, originally Sperry Gyroscope, Arlington Square is a 22-acre business park whose first stage was completed in 1995. It is office territory, so purchases here are usually self-contained buildings or suites for technology and professional firms.
Town centre and the Peel Centre
The pedestrianised centre around Princess Square, Charles Square and the Broadway lies just north of the station, with out-of-town shops, a cinema and bowling at the Peel Centre. Retailers, food businesses and leisure operators trade here, though many units are leasehold within larger schemes.
Easthampstead
The southern suburb of Easthampstead is one of the oldest parts of the town. Easthampstead Park, once a council conference centre, is now leased to Active Hospitality and has reopened as a hotel. Local parades suit shops, salons and practices buying small premises.
