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One of the fastest growing areas in the country, Bracknell Forest is home to a ream of household name multi-nationals such as Novell, Siemens and Panasonic. The Borough has one of the largest concentrations of knowledge-based companies in the country.
Bracknell Forest is in a prime location at the very heart of the Thames Valley, some 25 miles west of London, 12 miles east of Reading and 10 miles from Windsor.
The location of the Borough, and the development of Bracknell New Town, has meant that Bracknell Forest has traditionally enjoyed high employment growth and low levels of unemployment.
Today the area's vibrant economy and business opportunities coupled with its excellent housing, education and leisure facilities make Bracknell Forest an unbeatable location.
By Road: Bracknell Forest has easy access to the M3 and M4 motorway networks both only six miles from the town centre. These both link directly to the M25 London orbital motorway, providing immediate access to the south-east region.
By Rail: Rail connections to London and Reading support a substantial number of commuters in and out of the Borough.
By train Bracknell is 20 minutes from Reading and 55 minutes from London Waterloo, home of the Eurostar service, providing direct rail access to the European mainland.
By Air: The UK's major airports of Heathrow and Gatwick are both within easy reach of Bracknell Forest. Heathrow is a mere 30 minutes by road and Gatwick only a 40-minute drive.
By Bus: A regular express service operates between Bracknell and London, Victoria Coach Station. Longer distance coach routes are served by National Express which link Bracknell to Bristol. For more information call 01344 424938.
On the local bus network, the largest operator is the Berks, Bucks Bus Co Ltd (the Bee Line), which runs local services within Bracknell and inter-urban services to Wokingham, Reading, Ascot, Sunningdale and Windsor.
By Cycle: Bracknell Forest has a network of cycle routes, which have been created to use existing local roads in the neighbourhoods, linked by a number of specifically designed segregated cycleways and shared footpath/cycleways.
FACTS & FIGURES - Area 10,937 hectares(27,024 acres,42 square miles). - One fifth of the total area is forest and one fifth is protected for its high wildlife value
- 25 miles west of London - 12 miles east of Reading - 10 miles west of Windsor with easy access to the M3, M4 and M25
Economic Facts Bracknell Forest's un-employment rate in July 2001 was 0.8% compared with the Berkshire average of 1.1% and the south east average of 1.5%
Borough's employment by industry (Annual Employment Survey 2000) - Service industry 55% - Information Technology Communication 15% - Manufacturing 13% - Other 17%
Demographic Facts - Total population 111,500(1999 mid-year statistics) - 26% Aged 0-19 - 63% Aged 20-64 - 11% Aged 65+ - 2.7% of Bracknell Forest's population belong to an ethnic group. (1991 census statistics)
