"Coventry Airport gigafactory plans to be developed after council approval"
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:04 pm
A planning application will be submitted later this year
Plans will be drawn up for a huge gigafactory to build batteries for electric cars following approval from Coventry councillors.
Coventry City Council’s cabinet backed a Joint Venture partnership between the authority and Coventry Airport Ltd at a meeting on Tuesday, February 23.
Plans will now be developed to submit an outline application in 2021.
If successful the site could be up and running for 2025, with the city council saying it will create up to 20,000 jobs and up to £2bn of investment.
While a vision has now been outlined, the plans now need investment.
It is hoped the project would attract funding the government, which is actively pursuing investment in a gigafactory and has made up to £500m available.
Cabinet member for jobs and regeneration Cllr Jim O’Boyle said Coventry Airport had been identified as a site for a gigafactory since 2016.
Speaking at cabinet, he said: “We have always been working hard on this as we knew this is a really vital bit of infrastructure and the jobs it will create, 4,000 directly, up to 20,000 indirectly.
“Putting together this joint venture with the leaseholders of Coventry Airport the Rigby group is to make it very clear to anybody that will listen – particularly the government – that we need to make a decision to help support this business and industry going forward by getting on with the decisions so those businesses can start to invest and prepare for the future.
“2030 is not that far away and that’s when all internal combustion engines will no longer be able to be sold in this country. It takes many years for the development of these vehicles.
“In Europe there are 16 gigafactories that are either built or in the process of being built so we need to crack on with this and make this decision now to support the industry.”
Plans for the airport site could accommodate up to 4.5m sq ft of commercial space.
They have also been backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority.