
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Coventry City Council (United Kingdom) have submitted joint planning permission for a new technology park, reports the Coventry Telegraph. According to the newspaper, the project is known as Whitley South, and JLR will occupy a large proportion of the site near Coventry Airport. After the demolition of existing structures, new office buildings will be constructed, as well as research and development (R&D) facilities and light industrial premises. The rest of the site will be occupied by third parties – including JLR suppliers – and amenities will include a hotel, car showrooms, retail operations and catering establishments. The council has suggested that it could create up to 6,000 jobs. Furthermore, it will require a new road network including a bridge across the A45 as well as link roads, a countryside park, cycle paths, footpaths and landscaping. Approval for the plan is expected around mid-year unless the plans are called in by the UK Secretary of State due to the site currently being designated as green belt, although it has been earmarked to be taken out of the green belt in Warwick District Council's local plan.
Significance: The project is one that has been reported several times in the past month or so. It would be located just south of JLR's current Whitley R&D location and is intended to substantially increase the automaker's capabilities in the area of R&D. However, the process could be made trickier by the land's current designation and the potential for objections by local residents and groups. However, if the park does go ahead, it has been reported that it could come online as early as 2018, helping to maintain the growth momentum of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Earlier reports have also suggested that if the three-phase plan is approved, it may result in vehicle production returning to the city. However, this is likely to bode well in the future given that the automaker is also moving forward on its plans to build vehicles in Slovakia by 2018.