A major new office building has been given the go ahead for Cheltenham and is expected to create new jobs in the town.

Cheltenham Borough Council has given the go-ahead for the development of the 32,743 sq ft (3,680 sq m) of office accommodation on a site called Hatherley Place.

The three-storey building, designed by Gloucester architects Roberts Limbrick, will be close to GCHQ and J11 of the M5 at Cheltenham Office Park on a site owned by developer and investor Robert Hitchins Ltd.

It is the Boddington-headquartered Robert Hitchins business, operating under the name Grovefield Car Parking Limited, which is behind the investment immediately adjacent to the Nuffield Hospital in Hatherley, which will also boast 126 parking spaces.

Simon Tothill, property and development director for Robert Hitchins Ltd, said: "We are delighted that planning permission has been granted. It will allow us to provide much-needed, grade A office space close which offers easy access to the heart of Cheltenham and the M5 motorway.

"We have been working on the design of this building for some time and are confident that the quality of the office space proposed will be extremely well received by prospective tenants.

"It is our intention to retain these offices once built and add them to our commercial property portfolio as we continue our strategy of investing in Gloucestershire.

"The availability of this office building will offer employers the ability to expand or relocate, and will provide good employment opportunities and a healthy boost to the local economy at a time when there is a significant lack of employment space in the town."

A second document submitted by the company as part of the planning process said: "Our approach has been to seek to develop an attractive, modern, three storey office building design, with the necessary associated facilities and parking to 'tie in' to the surrounding area and to respect the previously approved proposals both through the use of appropriate materials and the location of the building in relation to the previous layout of office buildings.

"The overarching brief from the client in design terms has been to design an office building that stands out as a landmark building in this prominent corner of the wider site, and this building will be similar in height to the previously approved office buildings."

There is not news on tenants for the offices at this stage.

Read more: Mystery surrounds plans for new three-storey office in Cheltenham