Preferred development partner unveiled for £1bn scheme

A preferred development partner has been selected to assist in bringing forward the £1bn first phase of the Golden Valley Development located next to the iconic GCHQ building in Cheltenham.Cheltenham Borough Council’s The Golden Valley Development (GVD) has announced that HBD X Factory has been selected as its preferred development partner.The overall Golden Valley Development will span over 200 hectares and provide 3,700 new homes, almost 12,000 new jobs and two million square feet of commercial space with Cyber Central UK at the heart of the innovative campus for cyber and digital technologies.The Golden Valley is within 75 minutes of 20 universities, making it a hot spot for attracting talent to the high value and fact growing sector. There are also real prospects and opportunities to local residents and communities for future generations as well as wider green economic growth.The developer search was led by Avison Young. Construction for the Golden Valley Development will employ new, innovative methods to deliver above current building requirements with reduced energy and carbon impact for both the residential and commercial buildings.In addition, the infrastructure will consider smart technology solutions advancing the development in terms of mobility, biodiversity and resilience. Further detail on how sustainability and new technology will be incorporated into the scheme will be created alongside the development proposals and planning application, with the aspiration of net zero carbon target.The Golden Valley Development is planning to reach a contract close with the preferred developer in Q1 2022, with a planning application to follow later in 2022, leading to the start of construction and completion of the first phases.