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April 22, 2025
Cheltenham, known for its spa town history, racecourse, Regency architecture, and the GCHQ intelligence agency, plans to expand its cyber portfolio with a £95 million park designed to make the town the UK's cyber security capital.
Experts emphasize the need to leverage the growing cybersecurity industry, worth around £13 billion annually, in new ways, bringing start-ups together with large companies. Local authorities, planners, and central government have agreed on the construction of the 47-hectare park next to GCHQ, the government's first line of defense in cybersecurity. This will involve an investment of £1 billion, and construction could begin as early as October. But what does this mean for Cheltenham residents?
Golden Valley is an umbrella term for the multifaceted development project that will border the Springbank and Fiddler's Green communities. It includes 3,700 new homes, including 1,000 eco-homes for rent or purchase, a new primary school, and green spaces. Restaurants, sports facilities, and community spaces for events are also planned.
The cyber park itself is intended to be a learning center with spaces that can be rented by businesses, schools, and universities for training and education purposes. The main building, the National Cyber Innovation Centre, is intended to establish the town as the UK's cyber capital. The project is expected to create 12,000 jobs. Construction will be carried out in phases, with approval for the first phase expected in the summer.
The first phase of construction concerns the cyber park itself, which includes 93,000 square meters of commercial space, a car park, and bus stops with connections to Cheltenham Spa railway station. Work could begin in October if Cheltenham Borough Council approves two key applications in the summer, which also take into account feedback from public consultations. The teams behind the Golden Valley project hope it will be completed in 10 to 15 years.
In recent years, local adjustments have already been made to create room for growth. The roads around Cheltenham have been altered, with additional lanes added to the Arle Court Roundabout to increase capacity at Junction 11 of the M5 motorway. There are also plans for an additional motorway junction on the M5. Last year, a £9.2 million building called Minster Exchange opened, providing workspaces for the cyber and technology sectors in the town center. A large construction project called The Forum is underway in Gloucester, 10 miles away, which aims to attract cyber businesses and bring up to 1,500 jobs to the city. The University of Gloucestershire has expanded its offerings for students with a new £5.8 million cyber and digital center.
The first phase of Golden Valley is being implemented by property developer HBD and tech campus developer Factory. HBD is also funding digital workshops in local primary schools and working with the university, Gloucestershire College, and the University of Bristol to promote student skills.
Ed Hutchinson, Managing Director of HBD, explained that the development will help make cyber and artificial intelligence safer as "the world is changing faster than ever." "Golden Valley will be a place where leading figures from academia, government, large industry and start-ups can share knowledge and ideas and work in specialist environments that traditional offices simply cannot offer," he said.
He added that the appointment of a construction company for the project is expected in the coming months.
