7:23 am, February 25, 2023
A luxury marque dealership in Essex has fought off opposition to its plans for a massive new showroom plus 50 homes on green belt land.
Grange Motors – part of Car Dealer Top 100 firm Cambria Automobiles – will unite its Brentwood-based Jaguar and Aston Martin showrooms with its Chelmsford-based Lamborghini and Bentley dealerships.
They’ll be joined by a new Land Rover showroom on land 200 metres west of where the current Jaguar and Aston Martin dealerships are, reported the Yellow Advertiser.
The development will place the new multi-franchise dealership and adjoining homes near the M25 in green belt land.
The planning application met with some opposition from Brentwood borough councillors, who called it an inappropriate development, according to the Advertiser, but planning officers recommended it for approval nonetheless.
Grange Motors said it planned to increase the number of full-time staff from 46 to 170 as a result of the new development.
It told the council that the current site of the Jaguar and Aston Martin dealerships – in Brook Street – wasn’t fit for purpose any more because of its location and size.
It added that legislation relating to the increasing move to EVs and hybrids was among the reasons why it needed to merge its group dealerships on one site.
In its application, reported the Advertiser, it said: ‘It is therefore envisaged that consolidating dealerships will support the motor industry to meet environmental targets by replacing existing facilities which do not comply with these targets, and support the changes that electric vehicles will bring to how a modern dealership will operate.’
An artist’s impression of part of the new Grange Motors dealership
Wednesday’s meeting also saw outline permission granted for 50 homes on land next to where the new dealership will be.
According to the Advertiser, Grange Motors acknowledged that the site was within the green belt.
However, said the dealership, as there was pressure on sites in Brentwood plus a need to develop areas for job opportunities and housing, it had been identified as having benefits and special circumstances that favoured development.
Cllr Keith Barber, vice-chairman of the planning and licensing committee, was quoted as saying: ‘In terms of the reasons for this, it’s economic, it’s jobs, it’s people’s livelihoods.
‘The entrance to our town has been very poor for many years. This is a chance to improve that area.’
The current Brook Street site will now be available for development.
Cambria Automobiles CEO Mark Lavery will be the headline speaker at the forthcoming Car Dealer Live conference, sponsored by Auto Trader, being held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon on Thursday, March 9.
A handful of in-person tickets remain available and there are unlimited streaming tickets on sale as well.
Pictured at top via Google Street View is Grange Motors’ current Jaguar site in Brentwood
Car Dealer Live – the future of the car dealer – exclusive conference features talks from leading car dealers, Google and Auto Trader among much more. Find out the full event details and book tickets.
