500-bed campus for Agratas ‘gigafactory’ staff planned near Somerset crematorium
It's to reduce housing pressure on the towns and villages near the facility
Last updated 21st Jan 2026
A 500-bed campus for staff at Somerset’s new £4bn ‘gigafactory’ could be built opposite one of the county’s main crematoriums.
Construction is proceeding at pace on the ‘gigafactory’ within the Gravity enterprise zone, between Puriton and Woolavington, which will create up to 4,000 local jobs.
To reduce housing pressure on the towns and villages near the facility, Agratas is proposing to build a major campus near Sedgemoor Crematorium in the hamlet of Stretcholt, between Pawlett and West Huntspill.
Conservative Councillor Mark Healey (whose Huntspill division includes the Gravity site) has urged Somerset Council to speed up a decision on the plans to ensure the gigafactory can successfully begin operation without immense disruption to local residents.
The proposed campus will be built opposite the crematorium on the A38 Pawlett Road, on the land once occupied by the Crooked Chimney public house.
Raynerstone Properties Ltd. was granted permission by Sedgemoor District Council in January 1992 to redevelop the land into a 150-bed hotel, a leisure centre with multiple swimming pools and conference facilities – proposals which were never formally implemented.
The new proposals will see a 500-bed campus created on the site, with restaurants, bars, a gym, conference centre and “break-out areas” – with The Co-operative Food in negotiations to open a convenience store within the wider complex to serve local residents.
Mr Healey, shadow portfolio holder for public health, climate change and the environment, raised the issue when the full council met in Bridgwater shortly before Christmas (the recording of which has only recently been made public).
He said: “Agratas are joint applicants with Property Link consultants for a workforce accommodation facility for 500 workers for phase one of the gigafactory, on land at the former Crooked Chimneys site.
“The site is only 3.5 miles from the Gravity enterprise zone, and workers will be bussed to and from work, avoiding further congestion in Bridgwater.
“Peak staffing for phase one is in May 2026, when 2,000 additional workers will be required at the Gravity site.”
Mr Healey said that delivering such a campus would cost around £17m, with the majority of the buildings being of a modular construction to speed up construction (using similar methods to those currently being employed at Bridgwater’s new diagnostic centre on Bower Lane).
He continued: “Rollalong would be the providers of the modular accommodation and ancillary buildings.
“They are based in the south west in Wimborne, Dorset and have an excellent reputation for providing accommodation for the Ministry of Defence, schools, affordable housing and workforce campuses, as well as quality residential homes.
“They have the flexibility to clad the buildings with materials which are sympathetic to the rural location and blend it into the surrounding landscape.
“The parking will be provided on ‘grass-crete’ surfaces to avoid large, unsightly Tarmac and provide natural drainage. There will also be land set aside for biodiversity net gain.”
No formal planning application for the facility had yet been submitted, either by Agratas or by Property Link.
Any decision on the plans would most likely be taken in public by the council’s planning committee north, which handles major applications within the former Sedgemoor area.
The council is currently dealing with a significant backlog of major planning applications, caused in part by staffing issues and the ongoing phosphates crisis (whereby developers have to negotiate additional mitigation for sites within the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area).
Mr Healey urged the council to do everything possible to ensure that this campus could be delivered, preventing further pressure on local housing stock and delivering major investment in the local area.
He said: “Normal major applications would take until possibly August or September 2026, which is too late to avoid the impact on the area.
“The council needs to confirm to Agratas and the developer that the principle of 500 bed spaces with ancillary facilities are agreed on site.
“The result, with delivery on time, is a boost for local jobs and the local economy in supporting the delivery of the large gigafactory in the world (apart from China), meeting all parties’ objectives.
“The government has invested over a billion pounds in this project, and this council as well has committed millions in support, so it is crucial that these deadlines are met.”
Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, said Mr Healey “raised some really good points” and welcomed the ongoing investment in Somerset.
Mr Rigby (who represents the Lydeard division near Taunton) said: “What’s really heartening is that Somerset continues to be a place where investors are wanting to bring their money and expertise, and build their facilities.
“We’ve obviously got Hinkley Point C still going, we’ve got Agratas under construction as we speak, and there’s more to come.
“That does bring with it inevitable impacts, and housing the workforce both for construction and for operation of these plans is a challenge.
“We’re running through that the moment with workforce uplift mitigations on Hinkley Point C, and we’re following a similar path (although it’s obviously of a different scale) to mitigate the impact of the construction of the Agratas facility.
“It’s very important that we make sure that this facility is provided – subject to the planning process, of course.
“I’ve made it clear to the team working on this proposal that we need a quick response; it needs to be determined as quickly as possible.”