• Cheltenham Cyber Park

The UK Cyber Business Park is a joint public and private sector initiative aimed at creating the UK’s first dedicated hub, in Cheltenham, to support the growth and development of new cyber security businesses, technology, research and skills.

Golden Valley Development - Cheltenham Cyber Park

Jointly developed by Cheltenham Borough Council, HBD X Factory

 

GFirst LEP secured £23,600,000 of Growth Deal funding for the West Cheltenham Transport Improvement Scheme to 'unlock' The Golden Valley Site potential.

 

 

Summary

The Golden Valley Development is a large-scale mixed-use development located on the west side of Cheltenham that will eventually deliver up to 45Ha of new employment land (potentially up to 2m sqft of commercial space) and c3700 new homes. The scheme is being jointly promoted by Cheltenham Borough Council and HBD & Factory X. The development is not directly funded by the LEP but has been facilitated by the £22m WCTIS scheme. In total, the full development cost of the project will exceed £450m over a number of years. Full details of the scheme can be found here.

 

What is the Cheltenham Cyber Park project?

As well as a major housing site, it is a nationally and potentially internationally significant development in the Cyber sector. It is anticipated that it could support up to 11,000 new jobs and it will deliver a Cyber Innovation Campus adjacent to GCHQ that will be the primary Cyber ‘hub’ in the UK and a centre of excellence on an international scale.

GFirst LEP has supported the development from its early inception, recognising its potential as both a major economic growth driver for the county, but also as a potential ‘magnet’ for a younger demographic and as a catalyst for changing the international perception of the county with regards to inward investment.

GFirst LEP was successful in bidding for £22m of Local Growth Funds in February 2017 to support major road network improvements along the A40 corridor between M5 J11 and the Benhall Roundabout in Cheltenham that would create capacity in the network to allow the early phases of development on the Cyber Innovation Campus particularly, given its proximity to M5 J11. Full details of this scheme can be found under the “West Cheltenham Transport Improvements Scheme” (WCTIS) project summary.

GFirst LEP also supported the bid for an “all-ways” upgrade to M5 J10, which was confirmed in 2020 as part of the Homes England “Housing Infrastructure Fund”, with the award of £249m of capital funds to deliver the scheme. This additional investment will create a fully upgraded M5 J10, major improvements to the A4019 between Cheltenham and Coombe Hill Junction on the A38 and a dedicated link road into the Golden Valley development from the northern side which will enable the full build out of the site.

Full scheme details available here.

 

Who benefits from this project?

The development will create significant economic growth for both Cheltenham and the wider county. Local residents will benefit both from improved transport infrastructure and also job opportunities, particularly for young people locally.

Local residents will benefit from improved retail and leisure facilities and potentially more access to green space. Even though the land was previously designated as ‘green belt’ most of it was agricultural land and not particularly accessible.

A development of this size will also create significant s106 developer contributions, including a new primary school and other contributions to local facilities such as libraries, park areas and walking and cycling infrastructure.

 

What stage is the project currently at?

In July of 2021 HBD Plc in partnership with Factory X were announced as the nominated preferred developer and in June 2022 all legal agreements were finalised for the development to formally progress.

Currently (September 2022) the developers are in pre-application discussions with the local planning authority and developing more detailed designs with a view to submitting a planning application in early 2023. Work on site is therefore expected to start (subject to planning approval) in late 2023.

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