Building work has begun on the £26million Arle Court Transport Hub in Cheltenham.

Kier Construction has broken ground on the site of Hatherley Lane with the existing park and ride now partly closed.

It will be transormed into a four-storey building which will include an 848-space multi-storey car park, covered waiting area, information desk, café and toilets.

Due to be complete in summer 2024, the aim of the hub is to enable more journeys to central Cheltenham, Gloucester, the railway station and local hospitals by greener modes of travel.

It will offer additional bus services and better connections to sustainable transport such as walking and cycling routes.

The hub itself will be net zero carbon due to 200sqm of solar panels, with more to be phased in by 2026 and will have around 100 electric vehicle charging points.

Kier had already undertaken detailed design work on the scheme and then won the construction contract for the scheme from Gloucestershire County Council.

Andy Bolas, regional director at Kier Construction, said: "As a business with a base in Gloucestershire, we are proud to be delivering this project for Gloucestershire County Council.

"It will provide a number of benefits to the community which include better access to sustainable transport links to and from the west Cheltenham area, reducing the number of unnecessary car journeys into the city centre."

The upgrade to the existing Arle Court Park and Ride site was included as part of the initial package proposed for the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme, which gained funding from Homes England's Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) in 2020..

To accelerate delivery of the hub, the county council progressed it through two separate planning applications. Approval was granted for the enabling works in November 2021 and the construction phase in July 2022

Kier began preparation work in June 2022 for a new access and widening of Grovefield Way, along with drainage and landscaping improvements.

Minor changes to the proposals were made earlier this year to reduce the height of the building from 3.9m to 3.4m, meaning less lorry movements and a lower carbon impact.

Cllr David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: "We're delighted to see construction begin on this important project, which will provide a more modern transport hub for commuters and visitors to Cheltenham.

"The scheme also supports our carbon neutral ambitions, by improving connectivity to sustainable modes of travel in the area and reducing unnecessary car journeys."

A large section of the car park and main entrance into the site off the Hatherley roundabout are closed during works. An alternative site entrance and parking are in operation located off Grovefield Way.

Kier, which has an office on Gloucester Office Park is also building  £107m technology campus, The Forum  and is due to start main construction work later this year on the A417 Missing Link project.