Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council have resolved to approve outline plans for a Gigafactory in the area, which will manufacture high-tech lithium-ion batteries for the global automotive and energy storage industries.
This will result in a £2.5bn investment in the 530,000sqm facility creating up to 6,000 new highly skilled jobs directly, alongside thousands more in the wider supply chain in Coventry, Warwickshire and the surrounding region.
Expected to be production ready in 2025, the Gigafactory will have capacity to deliver up to 60GWh by the end of the decade.
Andy Street, the mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This is another crucial step forward in bringing our plans for a West Midlands Gigafactory to life.
“Not only will a Gigafactory support the future of our region’s automotive sector, creating thousands of new jobs, but it will also help protect our planet from the climate change emergency. It truly would be a game-changer, and I am delighted both Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council have recognised this and backed our vision.
“The West Midlands is already home to the country’s biggest car manufacturer, Europe’s largest research centre of its kind, the UK’s only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain. A Gigafactory therefore is the natural next step for the UK’s automotive heartland, and, working in partnership with industry and the Government, we will not rest until we have secured one.”
Following the positive resolutions at both planning committees, outline planning permission will be formally issued once the associated legal agreement has been signed and government has been consulted. This is expected to be completed by March.
