A new development framework has unveiled plans for a campus-style advanced manufacturing site to be created in Crewe for car manufacturers Bentley Motors, which is set to go before the local authority’s cabinet for approval on 6th December.
The aims from the ambitious company are to provide a new site that ensures security, efficiency and better production, which will assist Bentley in fulfilling its long term vision for the area, and the plans will be put to a public consultation running for six weeks through January and February should it be approved.
“More than 4,000 people are employed directly by the company, which provides many apprenticeship opportunities locally” commented Councillor Don Stockton of Cheshire East Council. “It is also Crewe’s largest single employer, accounting for more than £1 billion of UK exports each year. Alongside these benefits and its support for the creation of Crewe University Technical College, more than 80 of Bentley’s suppliers are located within 50 miles of the site, which subsequently benefits local businesses.”
A potential drawback to these plans is the need to close parts of Pyms Lane and Sunnybank Road which would possibly become an inconvenience to the locals of Crewe, and the plans would affect mainly council-owned land, so it is not all positivity and the local authorities will have a big decision to make in December.
“This development framework represents a long-term vision for what our factory could look like in the future, based on successfully achieving all of our business objectives over the coming years” commented Wolfgang Durheimer, chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors. “It is vital that we plan for the long-term future of our business as we look to evolve our headquarters into industry-leading facilities within a single site.”
These plans would create a new home for manufacturing, design, research & development and engineering, but whether it will go ahead we will have to wait and see.
