Planning application for battery park approved
BBCA revised planning application for an electric battery park has been approved by councillors.
The plans on the site of Coventry Airport requested permission to build an access road, begin demolition and construct a 30-megawatt electrical substation.
The project was first given outline planning permission three years ago by Warwick District Council.
Greenpower Park is a joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport's owners, and received a £23m funding boost from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in January.
Located within the West Midlands Investment Zone, Greenpower Park is expected to support thousands of new jobs across the region, said the WMCA.
The site sits just outside the Coventry city boundary in Warwick district.
Sited within the proposed Coventry and Warwick Gigapark, it received planning permission for a large-scale battery manufacturing facility in 2022.
Planning consent for the so-called gigafactory was due to expire last March, after difficulty securing an investor.
Walter Bush, chairman of Baginton Parish Council, objected to the plans: "This will never be a battery plant - all the logistics... will fail it.
"There are better sites elsewhere, with railheads [and] docking facilities, that lend themselves better to this kind of development."
Mr Bush also said he had concerns about how much public money was being spent on the site.
"They can't make up their mind what they're doing, it will cost more money and that's all taxpayers' money at the moment... my concern is this will go on throughout this development."
WMCA has said the investment zone will "transform our regional economy", creating 30,000 jobs linked to its three sites.
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