<p>The Royal County of Berkshire Pension Fund is to take a 20% stake in specialist asset manager Gresham House, backing a new alternative investment platform for other local government pension schemes.</p> <p>The Berkshire fund will provide the cornerstone investment for a new &pound;300m (&euro;353m) fund Gresham House plans to launch on the platform, called the British Strategic Investment Fund (BSIF).</p> <p>The BSIF is targeting investment in housing, infrastructure and &ldquo;innovation&rdquo; &ndash; three themes identified by the UK&rsquo;s chancellor Philip Hammond in his&nbsp;<a href="https://realestate.ipe.com/news/infrastructure/uk-government-moves-to-stimulate-infrastructure-housing-investment/10016340.article" title="UK government moves to stimulate infrastructure, housing investment">2016 Autumn Statement</a>&nbsp;as being of strategic importance to the UK, said Gresham House.</p> <p>John Lenton, chairman of Berkshire Pension Fund, said the platform would enable the pension fund &ldquo;to reduce costs and obtain diversity in our investments&rdquo;.</p>