All RDAs across England are closing by March 2012
(see transition and closure section).
With our resources reducing steadily, this page has not been recently updated and the information below may not be current.
If in doubt, please contact us directly.
Gloucestershire
Economic overview
Historically dominated by defence and aerospace contractors,
Gloucestershire has a significant manufacturing presence, with
particular strength in advanced engineering. The county is also a
major centre for banking, insurance and business services and home
to a number of government departments including GCHQ, the UK
government intelligence centre.
The triangle comprising Gloucester/Cheltenham, Swindon and
Bristol/Bath is one of the UK’s most prosperous economic
sub-regions and a major driver of the South West economy.
Gloucestershire’s gross domestic product (GDP) per head is above
the average for the South West and its economic success is
important for the whole region. Gloucestershire’s heritage and
cultural history are recognised as essential components of the
county’s quality of life and contributors to the economic success
of the county, both in attracting tourists and encouraging
businesses to locate in the area. The county town is the city of
Gloucester, and other principal towns include Cheltenham, Stroud,
Cirencester, and Tewkesbury.
However, Gloucestershire has several wards listed among the most
deprived in England and Wales.
RDA support
As such, Gloucestershire has benefited from extensive investment
by the South West RDA during the past decade. Projects and
partnerships the RDA has been involved in include the Gloucester
Docks redevelopment, the Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration
Company (GHURC) and its regeneration projects, the £6m funded
Gloucester City Works employment project, the Cinderford
regeneration partnership, the Littlecombe mixed-use development
project at Dursley and the administration of RDPE funding across
the county.
A total of £15 million overall funding (capital and revenue)
will be available for Gloucestershire during 2009/10 and 2010/11
and the county will also directly benefit from approximately £103
million of additional RDA investment to support activity that
applies equally across the whole region, such as the Business Link
network. In the year to January 2010, Business Link worked with
10,605 businesses in the county.
A key focus of investment remains the co-ordinated regeneration
work of GHURC which is helping to transform the economic prospects
of the City. Major projects currently being promoted include:
- Major public realm improvements (£7m investment) connecting the
new Gloucester Quays retail outlet to the City Centre
- Ongoing phases of regeneration within Gloucester Docks,
including a new 75,000 sq. ft. HQ office development.
- Phased regeneration within the historic Blackfriars
Regeneration area, commencing with the development of a £5m
Government funded Language Immersion Centre (offering in-depth
training in specialist languages) and upgrading historic buildings
owned by English Heritage to bring them back into productive
use.
Other successful projects in the County include ongoing
regeneration of the 95 acre Littlecombe site at Dursley for mixed
uses, including new houses and employment, funding towards a new
community enterprise centre at Coleford and support for a new
regeneration delivery partnership in Cheltenham.