Forum is 'a statement of confidence in Gloucester'

The Forum is a £107m regeneration project in Gloucester's Kings Quarter

A multi-million pound regeneration development has been described as "a statement of confidence" in a city.

Costing £107m, Forum is 142,000 sq ft of office space in the Kings Quarter area of Gloucester, alongside the city's first four-star hotel, more than 40 apartments and a carpark with nearly 400 spaces.

Co-working company Patch will move into part of the building this autumn, with its founder saying the development is "extremely exciting".

The leader of Gloucester City Council says Forum will bring new life to that part of the centre.

Rupert Bedell (left), MD of Fasthosts IT which moved into Forum at the start of the year, with Freddie Fforde (right), founder of co-working company Patch

IT company Fasthosts was the first tenant in Forum, bringing together all 250 of its staff, who had been working in two separate buildings on the other side of Gloucester.

Managing Director Rupert Bedell has described the building as "transformational".

"It's an absolute state-of-the-art working environment. The office has been fantastic for us," he said.

Mr Bedell added he would have liked to have had more neighbours more quickly.

"The excitement of the digital Forum and the businesses moving in here, we definitely wanted that to happen as quickly as possible and it has taken longer than ideal, but actually in the last two months I think the momentum has really shifted.

"We've seen Patch announced as our new neighbours, other businesses coming in, and it does really feel like the wheels are starting to move and that excitement is coming back about what the Forum can do for the city."

'Our flagship site'

Patch, the second tenant, provides space for co-working and for community groups to meet, everything from baby yoga to cinema clubs.

Founder Freddie Fforde said he signed up after being impressed by the design and what the building would offer his clients.

"Gloucester is going to be our flagship site. We're hoping to be a real core anchor that sends confidence about the future of Gloucester in terms of culture and work. It's extremely exciting," he said.

"We've worked on six different schemes around the country so far, and this absolutely tops the quality. We really like the amount of glass [and] the views through to the cathedral.

"This is a really accessible space that is acting as a statement of confidence for the future of Gloucester, and we're really thrilled to be part of it."

Hotel Indigo will have 130 rooms, and will be Gloucester's only four-star hotel

Gloucester City Council leader Councillor Jeremy Hilton said there is interest from another tech company to be the third major tenant in Forum - but that still leaves other spaces to fill

"I think it's taking a bit longer than we would expect. Maybe the original plan was optimistic. But we're getting near the end," he said.

Mr Hilton added he believes Forum could bring 1,000 people to Kings Quarter.

"It's going to bring new life to this part of Gloucester and I think that's going to be really good.

"And with all this extra life in here, if you're an entrepreneur and you want to set up a business, one of the most important things is footfall and I think we're going to find a lot more footfall."