The proposals, put forward by Coventry Airport Ltd and Coventry City Council, would see the airport close, claim that the new plant would create up to 6,000 new jobs. Plans still need the backing from a car manufacturer and the government.
Access designs also needs approval from planners at Coventry City Council. The scheme ahas the backing of local MPs, unions and the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street.
The facility would manufacture electric car batteries seen as key to the industry as car manufacturers, including JLR, move to producing electric vehicles.
The £2.5bn factory is set to house facilities to build new electric vehicle batteries, as well as recycle used ones, and is expected to create 6,000 new jobs and support thousands more in the supply chain.
West Midlands Gigafactory, which is a joint partnership between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport, is said to be the UK's largest project of its kind and it is hoped it will be operational from 2025.
It will cover more than 5.38 million square foot of space and at full capacity will be capable of delivering up to 60GWh of production per year.
It will be powered by a planned major boost to the local energy network, giving the gigafactory access to a 100% renewable electricity supply from a combination of solar power and grid-supplied renewables.
Car manufacturers are keen to work with gigafactories close to their own manufacturing bases and the Midlands is home to BMW, Aston Martin and Toyota, while Jaguar Land Rover operates factories across the West Midlands.
Machinery reported on the plans in October. Read more here.
There are currently no other battery plants in the UK but Britishvolt has started enabling works for a scheme in Northumberland while Envision AESC has won consent for a gigafactory in Sunderland and appointed a firm to lead the project.
