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ID sylw: 99241

Derbyniwyd: 06/03/2025

Ymatebydd: Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport Ltd

Asiant : Mr Robert Barnes

The identification of the MIS for employment use and the main focus of new employment development is supported. The recognition within the treatment Draft Policy Direction 14 provides for MIS.4 (South of Coventry Area) for Gigafactory development at the Airport is appropriate, mindful of the planning permission already secured there for such a scheme. However, two observations should be made in this regard.

First, the wording as currently expressed indicates the allocation will be for “a” Gigafactory and “a” facility. As the site is brought forward this might still be the case, but the scale and nature of development permitted here and evolution in the approaches taken by manufacturers mean that one potential outcome is more than one operator taking space in the scheme. As such any allocation should support advanced industry associated with this sector more generally.

Second, the text for MIS.4 also includes, “There is also opportunity for further employment development here that could link to the automative industry and the National Battery Industrialisation Centre, and could contribute to South Warwickshire or Coventry's unmet need.” It is important that this sentiment is carried through into any policy for MIS.4 and the type of development that will be supported across this area.

The current expectation that the Airport can accommodate battery manufacturing development is noted, including in the context of paragraph 86 c) of the NPPF which states that policies should, “pay particular regard to facilitating development to meet the needs of a modern economy, including by identifying suitable locations for uses such as…gigafactories…”. However, the same paragraph goes on to state (part e)) that policies should, “be flexible enough to accommodate needs not anticipated in the plan, and allow for new and flexible working practices and spaces to enable a rapid response to changes in economic circumstances.”

The emerging Plan is expected to operate over an extended period. As explained elsewhere in these representations the Airport is a valuable brownfield resource capable of contributing materially to meeting development requirements in a highly sustainable location that should be released from Green Belt. It represents a suitable location for advanced manufacturing development and that should be recognised by the Plan, but an allowance should also be made such that it can contribute flexibly to changes in economic circumstances for employment development if required. The Plan should allow for such flexibility here.