Cheltenham Borough Council launches search for partner to deliver world-class Golden Valley Development

The site located beside GCHQ will see up to 200-hectares of land transformed into a world-class, multi-purpose development with the UK’s first cyber focused campus, Cyber Central, at its heart.
 
Cyber Central builds on Cheltenham’s international reputation for leadership in cyber security and the development will see a Cyber Innovation Centre, bringing together GCHQ’s innovation programmes, academia, business and event space; offering up to two million square feet of commercial floor space for the cyber sector.
 
Cyber Central will sit within the wider Golden Valley Development, which has been granted Garden Community status by Homes England. This development will see over 3,000 homes create a community supported by shops, cafes, restaurants and leisure facilities. It will significantly enhance Cheltenham’s appeal as a destination for living and working in addition to being recently recognised as the best place to live in the South West by The Sunday Times.
 
Cheltenham Borough Council has shown its commitment to the development with the purchase of 45 hectares of land, making it the biggest single purchase ever made by the council at £37.5 million. The council has a further £180 million funding available for the delivery of high-quality homes.
 
In June 2019 the government announced the Golden Valley Development would be part of its Garden Communities investment. This investment will see the development create a sustainable place for the community to thrive, with a long-term focus on creating new job opportunities, high-quality housing, sustainable transport and connectivity through public transport routes. The scale of investment will create a ripple effect that will spark new socio-economic opportunities for Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and the wider region.
 
The UK cyber security sector is currently valued at £8.3 billion, having doubled in two years and growth is expected to continue at a similar pace, therefore the timing of the Golden Valley Development will make it a key driver for economic recovery locally, regionally and nationally.

Avison Young has been appointed to lead the search for a partner on this ambitious and exciting development, which is supported by the Department of International Trade as a project of international significance.
 
In the first stage, interested parties are invited to complete and return a Selection Questionnaire by 10 July 2020; this is available from Avison Young. The partner is expected to be appointed in Spring 2021.

For more information on the Golden Valley Development visit www.goldenvalleyuk.com.