A Gloucestershire company has been awarded the contract for the next stage of a major development which will see 1,300 new homes and hundreds of job opportunities.

Britannia Construction, based in Quedgeley, will take charge of a new roundabout on the A40 a spine road for Innsworth Park.

The 73-hectare, mixed use development is being developed by Robert Hitchins and the residential section - led by Taylor Wimpey - is underway with houses on the market a Whittle Gardens.

Undertaken on behalf of Robert Hitchins Ltd, along with GFirst LEP and in collaboration with Highways England and Gloucestershire County Council, the roundabout will be built between Longford and Elmbridge Court with a new section of highway to the proposed business park.

The spine road will eventually stretch from the A40 to Innsworth Lane, opening up access to the residential area, as well as to a 10-acre district centre, a 6.7 acre business park, a four-acre office park, a new primary school, and sport and leisure facilities.

It will also provide greater connectivity to Churchdown, Staverton and Cheltenham.

Robert Hitchins technical and residential development director Gordon Jeynes said: "We're pleased to see the continued progress of the development.

"Despite new challenges which the pandemic created in the construction industry, we are well on schedule to complete the principal infrastructure by the end of this year.

"The infrastructure will form part of the highway link to Innsworth Lane and open up the opportunity for the business park, office park and district centre to move forward, bringing economic benefit to the area."

The Innsworth Park District Centre will be the largest single provision of local shopping and leisure facilities on the northern side of Gloucester.

It has outline planning consent for a supermarket, retail units, pub/restaurant, leisure facilities, health centre, nursery, offices and community uses.

Alder King is acting as agent for the district centre, along with ARC Retail Property Consultants, and the office and business parks with Cushman & Wakefield.