Former nuclear power station site sold for £6.5m

The new owners plan to establish a low-carbon energy "super cluster"

The £6.5m sale of a former nuclear power station has officially gone through.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGS) first agreed to sell its 40-acre science park in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, to Chiltern Vital Group (CVG) in January.

The owners plan to redevelop the site for a new kind of nuclear technology, establishing a low-carbon energy "super cluster".

The site was formerly one of the first civil nuclear power stations in the world and was home to a Magnox reactor from 1962 to 1989.

Its adjoining nuclear research laboratory was also fundamental for developing the UK's nuclear fuel programme.

The sale of the site was first agreed in January

Saved from demolition in 2016, the laboratory site was later turned into a science and technology park by SGS.

It is also home to a University Technical College (UTC) with about 400 students - an initiative to focus on technical education for students between 14-18 years old.

The UTC is not being sold as part of the agreement, and will carry on working as before.

The site is now owned by Chiltern Vital Berkeley Limited (CVB), a wholly owned subsidiary of CVG.

SGS said the government would soon announce a technology provider to develop small modular reactors at the site, with Rolls Royce SMR the first company being selected for its final approval stage by the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Kevin Hamblin, CEO of SGS, said they were delighted "CVB can now invest in the site to support research, development and skills training around new nuclear, AI and low carbon businesses".

"CVB and their partners will bring significant new investment and work opportunities for the region; and for SGS it will mean the college plays a very prominent role to support the teaching of new skills for many years to come," he added.