Gloucester City Council has held a topping out ceremony to mark progress on its new Forum development.

The ceremony marks the new buildings on the site reaching their highest point, at a height of 30 metres. The Forum is part of the £200 million regeneration of the city centre by Gloucester City Council, and its partners Reef Group, and the University of Gloucestershire.

The Forum includes a boutique 131-bedroom hotel, gym, retail space and upscale residential homes. It will also offer two brand new office spaces, located close to train and bus stations as well as new car parking and EV charging facilities. IHG Hotels & Resorts announced in March that it would be bringing its Hotel Indigo brand to the development.

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Phase One of the Forum was completed earlier this year, including residential and retail elements. The Whitefriars apartment complex element of the development included 19 new homes. 90% of the homes have now been sold.

Commenting on the project, Councillor Richard Cook, leader of Gloucester City Council, said: "We are thrilled to see this significant moment arrive. The Forum will be the jewel in the crown of this multi-million pound redevelopment of our city centre and will help to boost both our day and night time economies as well as attracting businesses and new investment. This, along with the redevelopment of Kings Square and the revamp of Kings Walk, will help to make Gloucester a city fit for the future."

Reflecting on their involvement, Esther Croft, Development Director at Reef Group, said: "Reaching the pinnacle of the build is an exciting and significant moment, which we are thrilled to share with partners, councillors and the wider teams. We now look ahead to the next stage of the build – fitting the façade to the buildings, finalising key elements of the interiors and seeing the space fully take shape, in a style that fits its purpose as a professional and leisure hub of the city centre."