Major projects & developments
A number of major projects and key developments continue to revitalise Cheltenham, providing the infrastructure and conditions for economic growth. At the forefront of this investment are the plans for a new cyber innovation centre and cyber-tech community, a 45 hectare site at the heart of the 200 hectare Golden Valley development to the west of the town and adjacent to GCHQ.
Major investments in Cheltenham’s transport infrastructure are also progressing, including creating a new four-way entry/exit at J10 of the M5; improved access and sustainable transport options along the A40 into Cheltenham and the long-awaited dualling of the A417.
Elsewhere in the town, an enabling and forward thinking approach has helped to bring forward a number of new office developments, including the 70,000 sq ft Quadrangle, 63,000 sq ft Honeybourne Place and the award-winning Formal House.
There’s also the emerging 20,000 sq ft mixed-use Minster Innovation Exchange development and the appropriately titled Hub8 (a nod to the famous Hut 8, home of the code breakers at Bletchley Park) – a co-working space for the cyber-tech industry, which, alongside its neighbour the international beauty brand SLG, now occupies 7,000 sq ft of Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter development.
The Golden Valley Development
A vibrant and pioneering garden community, integrating hi-tech businesses with new homes and community uses, alongside the highest standards of environmental sustainability, design and place-making.
Over 1 million sq. ft. of commercial space clustering companies from the tech sectors such as cybersecurity, AI and more – all 100 meters from GCHQ’s Doughnut.
Over 1000 new homes across a variety of types, tenures, and sizes to meet all needs.
Transport infrastructure
Major investments in Cheltenham’s transport infrastructure are underway, including the £22m West Cheltenham Transport Improvement Scheme (WCTIS) which is helping to unlock the Golden Valley Development site and includes carriageway, walking and cycling improvements.
In the 2020 Budget, the UK Government also gave the go-ahead to a new four-way entry/exit at J10 of the M5 as well as the long-awaited dualling of the A417 between Brockworth and Cowley – opening up additional access routes from both the North and South of Cheltenham.
Major upgrades to Cheltenham Spa station are also set to complete in 2020, including additional car parking capacity, extra bike storage, improved pedestrian access and a more accessible bus interchange.
MINSTER INNOVATION EXCHANGE
The Minster Innovation Exchange is a £5.2 million flagship scheme in the heart of Cheltenham town centre. The scheme will repurpose an under-used town centre location through the delivery of 20,000 sq.ft of purpose-built commercial space including flexible workspaces, a 300-person capacity performance arena, cafe, community and education space. It will connect to the High Street through upgraded historic linkages from the Cheltenham Minster grounds whilst also acting as a pilot for developments at the Cyber Central campus.
It is the brainchild of locally based Workshop Group which is also responsible for Hub8, the cyber innovation space located in Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter. Working in close partnership with Gloucestershire County Council and the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership, the project has been accelerated having secured £3.114 million from the government’s £900 million nationwide ‘Getting Building Fund’.
Quadrangle
The Quadrangle, a 1970s landmark, has been sensitively re-imagined to create a contemporary, 70,000 sq ft commercial space in the very heart of Cheltenham.
Four storeys of premium office space have been designed to meet the needs of Cheltenham’s vibrant 21st century business community. Each floor has the flexibility to be rented either in its entirety, around 13,000 sq ft, or as two separate office units.
Its prime location offers exceptional retail and café venues on the ground floor, with the exciting addition of a roof-top restaurant, The Nook, which offers diners views across the tree tops of Montpellier.
