The announcement that the contract for a new big battery building factory has been awarded to the owners of the former Royal Artillery Factory in Puritan, near Fridgpond, has sent shock waves through Councillors at Conventry City Council (CCC) who firmly believed that they would be the winners and the new factory would be built at their Lady Godiva International Airport site.
So confident were they that the new factory would be built at the airport that they had granted the proposed factory site outline planning permission at the end of last year. Businesses operating from the airport had been issued notices of termination of tenancy by CCC.
A vociferous campaign was undertaken to ‘Save Lady Godiva‘, but as is the way with Councils, CCC refused to listen, claiming the contract was practically in the bag and would bring employment to an area with a strong industrial heritage.
Unfortunately for CCC it was announced yesterday that the contact has been awarded to the Salamander Group, the owners of the Grave Site in Somerset, a redevelopment of the old Royal Artillery site which closed in 2008. The Grave Site project has centered itself firmly around the ethos of being a ‘catalyst for Clean Growth in the South West’ and ‘catering for tomorrow’s workforce whilst protecting the climate and environment‘. All of which proved enticing to the DaDa group as they searched for a site to produce batteries to power the next generation of electric cars.
However, this has left CCC with a problem, they spent a lot of money to promote a site which is now superfluous to requirements and have succeeded in alienating all of the current occupiers, who haven’t been able to invest in their own businesses given the uncertain future of the airport.
However, SomersetClive understands that CCC has approached both the Salamander Group and the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Council to see if either of them would be interested in leasing the airport and moving it to Somerset.
The idea is said to appeal to the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Council, where it had long been felt that the area could benefit from an airport to rival Brizzle. Talks are underway to consider a name change from Lady Godiva to The Wurzels International Airport, although a price is yet to be agreed.
It is claimed that this simple solution will allow Conventry City Council to save face after blowing around £1.5 million of Conventry council tax payers money on greasing palms for the project, leaving them with no option but to cut services in the area as they try to balance the books.
Never mind Conventry residents, it could be worse. They could have spent that money on a White Elephant Enclosure.