By Ian Mean
Business West Gloucestershire director
The sale by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College(SGS) of their Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park at Berkeley is a potential economic game-changer for our region.
In my view, the £6.5 million sale to Chiltern Vital Berkeley Ltd, opens the door to create the UK centre of excellence for nuclear research and development and skills training-working in partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR.
Chiltern plans to establish Berkeley as the ukl’s centre for excellence for the next generation of small modular and micro reactor technology.
This is why Rolls-Royce SMR(Small Medium Reactor)is-with other leading UK and international companies-interested in locating their operations on the 40 acre site at Berkeley.
Rolls-Royce SMR, of course, is the first company to be confirmed as being selected for its final approval stage by the Office for Nuclear Regulation(ONR).
I believe that Berkeley is now set to become a nuclear “super cluster” through the sale.
We could see these SMRs-mini nuclear reactors-being developed at Berkeley and nearby Oldbury, which has been purchased by the government’s Great British Nuclear operation.
This has been a complex sales negotiation, and having seen it first hand, I must congratulate the SGS chief executive, Kevin Hambli, for getting it over the line.
The Berkeley site was formerly one of the first nuclear power stations in the world with an adjoining nuclear research laboratory fundamental for delivering the Uk’s nuclear fuel programme.
I have been impressed by the enthusiasm and energy of the Chiltern Vital Group which is already working with some of the world’s clean energy companies.
And it’s good to see the chief executive of Rolls-Royce SMR, Chris Cholerton, feeling the same when he said: “The announcement that CVG has completed the purchase of Berkeley Science and Technology Park brings the possibility of new nuclear at Berkeley a step closer.”
Nuclear heritage is in the the very DNA of Gloucestershire due to the decommissioned sites at Berkeley and Oldbury.
At Business West we look forward -with partners- to help develop the new future of Berkeley into the economic behemoth we all hope it heralds.
