Digging into the details of valley plan

CHELTENHAM Borough Council has recently signed a development agreement with our main development partner HBD X Factory which will help us to deliver the Golden Valley Development (GVD).

Who are HBD X Factory? They are an organisation that help local authorities deliver regeneration, innovation and dynamic technology as part of new build projects, and it is located on land adjacent to the GCHQ in West Cheltenham.

When complete, what will it deliver? The answer to that is 12,000 new high end, high tech jobs as well as 3,700 new homes, 35 per cent of which will be affordable.

The total development will cover 200 hectares and it will be designed as a Smart Garden Community, which will include leisure, retail and large biodiverse green spaces.

This is the largest and most expensive project that CBC have ever been involved in and to help ensure that we have as much control as possible, we have purchased 45 hectares of the land ourselves.

Why are CBC delivering the GVD? Cheltenham is a large dormitory town, with an aging population where residential property is really expensive. This means that young people who were often born and brought up here cannot afford to buy or even rent property in the area.

It also means that due to the high property prices, it is not a very attractive place for young professionals and their families to come and live and work in. This project will deliver thousands of new jobs as part of the National Cyber Innovation Centre.

It will not only benefit the economy for Cheltenham as a whole, it will also deliver three of Cheltenham Liberal Democrats key manifesto priorities: regeneration and affordable housing, as well as helping us deliver a carbon net zero town.

In order to deliver a successful project we have been working with other partners too. Including Tewkesbury Borough Council, Homes England, Gfirst LEP, Gloucestershire County Council as well as various universities.

When complete the GVD will enhance still further our beautiful town, making it an even better place to live and work.