Golden Valley £1bn cyber district developer saves oak trees from destruction (2025)

A trio of “beautiful” veteran oak trees will be saved from the chopping block when work begins on the new Innovation Centre near GCHQ, the latest plans from Cheltenham Borough Council reveal. The £1bn campus development spans over 100 acres of land near GCHQ and aims to create 12,000 jobs for the county.

A public consultation for the project comes amid nationwide uproar at the felling of a 500-year-old oak tree at a Toby Carvery. With the trial for the Sycamore Gap tree felling also coming up, ancient tree preservation is top of mind for many Brits.

For the Golden Valley site, developer firm HBD is reassuring the public that it has gone to great lengths to “respect and keep” the family of 150-300-year-old oak trees on the property. Matt Bellshaw, director and head of region at HBD, explained that his team is consulting with an arborist to map out a “root protection zone” and that the “slightly unconventional shape” of the Innovation Centre building and bridge reflect a “landscape-led approach” to the development.

Jack Taylor, programme lead for woods under threat at The Woodland Trust, advises that the Golden Valley trees are “completely unique and irreplaceable” because “each one is like a city for wildlife”. He also cautions that a “considerable” buffer area of approximately 23 metres surrounding each oak will be necessary for the trees’ health and to protect humans from falling debris.

More than 200 locals attended public consultation events to learn more about the proposed Innovation Centre and Mobility Hub buildings. HBD has now issued a final call for residents to submit online feedback by Friday, May 2. According to Mr Bellshaw, people have been especially interested to learn that the site will have space for shops, restaurants, and an events venue, something the public feels could benefit the area.

He added: “We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response to the proposals. The aspects of the first building that will add a lot of value to the community have been really important We’re really pleased with the levels of engagement, particularly from young people.”

The positive response from youngsters and their parents was evident at a sold out event that Golden Valley co-hosted with Gloucestershire College in March. Andy Bates, chief financial officer at Gloucestershire College, said the students have a huge appetite for getting into the cyber industry and are excited by the prospect of more local jobs being created.

Mr Bates sees the college as a critical ally for Golden Valley as talks with prospective occupants for the Innovation Centre are underway. He says that companies want to know that Gloucestershire has a strong pipeline of technology talent.

The college boasts a dedicated cyber training centre and offers the only cyber degree in England accredited by GCHQ. Over 300 students complete the college’s Level 3 BTEC in Computing each year, supported by 25 IT lecturers. Past students have landed prestigious apprenticeships at world-class companies like Amazon Web Services.

Mr Bates also stressed the importance of ensuring that the “shiny new facilities” are not perceived as hidden away from locals behind “a barbed wire fence”. He added: “Some of the most deprived wards of Cheltenham are on the doorstep. It’s important that those communities are encouraged to interact with the new facility. I’ve been encouraged by some of the plans around that.”

Further plans show that the project’s second phase will include the creation of a garden community with over 1,000 low-carbon homes of different types, sizes, and tenures “to cater for Golden Valley’s diverse population”. Already home to the largest concentration of cyber security businesses outside of London, Cheltenham Borough Council wants the town to cement a reputation as the UK’s cyber capital.

Councillor Peter Jeffries, cabinet lead for major developments and housing delivery said: "We have now reached a huge milestone in the first phase of Golden Valley. We encourage people to share their thoughts about the scheme so that their feedback can feed into the process."

Planning approvals for the first phase of the development are expected this summer. Meanwhile, Cheltenham Borough Council is preparing a comprehensive strategy for the long-term management of local trees like Golden Valley’s veteran oaks.

Tracey Birkinshaw, director of community and economic development at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: "We know that trees are important to Cheltenham, our residents, businesses, and visitors, and are a part of what makes our town special. The strategy will help make decisions – from where we plant new trees to protecting old ones."

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