Plans to transform the gardens of Cheltenham Minster as part of the bigger £6.8 million Minster Exchange (MX) project have gone before Cheltenham Borough Council.
The team behind what will become the new MX business centre and headquarters for Cheltenham Festivals, hope the additional Minster Gardens scheme will regenerate the gardens around the Grade-I listed church.
Plans include the creation of more social space, additional paths, lighting and more seating, as well as a path link to the entrance of the MX, to be built on the adjacent car park behind the nearby children’s library and a project made possible by funds won by GFirst LEP.
When complete the MX will deliver 20,000 square feet of commercial space including flexible workspaces, a home for The Growth Hub Cheltenham, a 300-person capacity performance arena, cafe, community and education space.
It will also have strong links to the nearby Brewery Quarter cyber business co-working space, Hub8, and the forthcoming Golden Valley Development near GCHQ.
Cheltenham Borough Council, in partnership with Workshop Cheltenham, will take possession of the private car park in mid-September 2021, with the modular structures which will be part of the centre due to arrive on site in November.
A decision on the Minster Gardens plans is expected in November 2021.
If the planning application is successful, work is expected to start in early January 2022 and finish by late spring 2022.
