Hundreds of gigafactory staff could live on campus

Hundreds of workers at the UK's biggest electric vehicle battery plant could have purpose-built accommodation created for them on a new campus near the factory.

Agratas, the company behind the plant, said it was at the "early stages of discussion" over a proposal for a 500-bed campus 3.5 miles (5.6km) from the site in Somerset.

Property consultants behind the proposal said it already had planning permission to become a hotel and conference venue and they were in "negotiation" with Agratas.

A local councillor said the plans also included restaurants, bars, a gym and conference centre on the proposed campus site on the A38 Pawlett Road, opposite Sedgemoor Crematorium.

Agratas, Tata Group's global battery business, is investing £4bn in the former Royal Ordnance Factory site just off junction 23 of the M5.

The gigafactory will be one of the largest in Europe and will initially make batteries for vehicles like Range Rover, the Defender and the Jaguar brands - also owned by Tata.

Construction of the plant is expected to peak in 2026 with 2,000 workers on site, and it is due to be operational in 2027.

Conservative Councillor Mark Healey represents the Huntspill division which includes the Agratas site.

He urged Somerset Council to take a swift a decision on the workers accommodation campus plans to avoid disruption to local residents if such housing was not available.

Healey said delivering such a campus would cost around £17m, with the majority of the buildings being pre-fabricated modules made off-site and slotted together on location.

Workers would be taken from the accommodation to the factory site by bus.

Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, said Healey "raised some really good points" and welcomed the ongoing investment in Somerset.

"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," Rigby said.

No formal planning application has been submitted.

A spokesperson for Agratas said the campus proposal was "at an early stage of discussion" and that no commitments had been made.

Property Link Consultants, which manages the proposed site on the A38, said: "The site has existing planning permission to become a hotel and conference venue.

"We are in negotiation with Agratas regarding how we can support their need for workforce accommodation in the coming months, but nothing is finalised yet."

Last July, Agratas said it had reached a "major milestone" when the first steel frames were put in place.

The site will eventually produce 40GWh of battery cells annually, enough to supply approximately 500,000 vehicles, Agratas said.

The company said 1,500 operational jobs would be created when the first building opens in 2027, with 4,000 jobs on offer once they expand across the whole site, and that the overall project would be worth "hundreds of millions" to Somerset's economy.

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