£4bn gigafactory could create 4,000 jobs in Somerset

The first phase of Somerset’s new £4bn gigafactory could begin to take shape before Christmas if plans are successfully approved.

Agratas announced in late-February that it would be investing heavily in the Gravity enterprise zone, between Puriton and Woolavington, creating up to 4,000 well-paid jobs and delivering one of the largest single employment sites in the whole of Somerset.

The facility, which is expected to be up and running by 2026, will provide electric vehicle batteries for Jaguar Land Rover, and could eventually provide up to 40 per cent of all electric vehicle batteries for the UK domestic market.

Construction firm McAlpine was awarded the contract in late-July for the pre-construction work on the former Royal Ordnance Factory site, with its staff hard at work at the site’s south-western corner.

Agratas has now formally submitted plans for the prosaically named ‘Building One’, which will form the first phase of the new complex – with a decision expected from Somerset Council before Christmas.

The entire Gravity enterprise zone has been subject to a local development order (LDO) since December 2021, in a bid to speed up the delivery of any investment within the site.

An LDO identifies the types of development which are suitable for a given parcel of land within a large site – making it easier for a commercial developer to secure planning permission (so long as it complies with these allocations).

Under the phase one proposals, building one will be constructed at the western edge of the site, with large amounts of car parking being provided to the north, south and west.

The majority of this building will be devoted to battery cell manufacturing, but it will also include staff welfare facilities such as a canteen.

A separate building will be constructed to the east, housing the electrolyte used to construct the lithium batteries and a new substation which will be needed to power the gigafactory (on top of the ongoing upgrades to Bridgwater’s own power grid).

The council committed in March to spending up to £150m on delivering infrastructure to unlock the gigafactory development, funded through central government grants and retention of business rates from the site.

The council is expected to make a decision on the latest Agratas proposals before Christmas.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.