8:24 am, July 15, 2021
Plans have been submitted for Coventry’s new car battery plant that could create 6,000 jobs and attract £2bn of investment, according to the project’s backers.
It has been called ‘mission critical’ by the region’s mayor as it seeks to remain the heartland of British automotive.
Planning permission to build the 5.7m sqft gigafactory will boost ambitions to keep automotive production at the heart of the West Midlands region, according to the joint venture behind the move.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street said it was ‘mission critical that the West Midlands secures a gigafactory’ to safeguard its key industry, economy and the ‘future of our planet’.
Local government sources have said they are in discussion ‘with a number of potential suppliers’ to take on the plant, including established battery suppliers and car makers.
In recent weeks, UK manufacturers Nissan and Stellantis have made announcements about their own battery plants in Sunderland and Ellesmere Port respectively.
Proposals for the Coventry site, which could create up to 6,000 jobs directly and tens of thousands more in the supply chain, were first unveiled in February.
The new factory would be located at Coventry Airport, and the blueprint is being submitted by Coventry City Council in partnership with it.
