Promising to 'super-charge' the first phase of Cheltenham's National Cyber Innovation Centre, Cheltenham Borough Council has been provisionally awarded a £20 million funding boost from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The centre is set to be at the heart of the town's ambitious £1 billion Golden Valley Development, which has both regional and national importance, playing a big part in cementing Cheltenham's reputation as the cyber capital of the UK — with the council hoping it will act as a catalyst for prosperity for the entire region.
The 47-hectare development will include an innovation district of over a million sq ft of commercial space, designed to attract science and technology businesses specifically. It will also include over 1,000 sustainable new homes to buy or rent, as well as a new primary school, as part of a new garden community set within an extensive network of green spaces.
Cabinet member for economic development, culture, tourism and wellbeing, councillor Max Wilkinson, said: 'This is unequivocally good news for Cheltenham. Cheltenham Borough Council has led this project from the start, most recently working with partners HBDxF.
'We have worked hard locally to ensure the Golden Valley project will build on our town’s strength as a centre for cyber and technology. The £20 million the government has now pledged for the innovation centre will sit alongside investment by the council of £130m.
'It will help us deliver jobs and prosperity for local people.'
