A £250million plan by Rolls-Royce to build a manufacturing and office hub at Ansty creating potentially thousands of jobs has been unveiled.
It comes as the engineering giant is set to close another facility at its traditional engine repairs site at Ansty after years of decline.
Close by, the giant Ansty Park in Rugby district on the Coventry border has for nearly two decades been earmarked for thousands of advanced manufacturing jobs.
In recent years, it has attracted the Manufacturing Technology Centre and London Taxi Company (LTC)’s electric vehicle factory, while much of the former airfield site remains vacant.
It was revealed today that property developers Manse and Opus Land have been appointed by Rolls-Royce to regenerate 200 acres of land at Ansty with a two million sq ft scheme.
Manse has been involved in the regeneration of Rolls-Royce’s former works at East Kilbride.
Of traditional manufacturing and repairs at Rolls-Royce in Ansty, once a site for thousands of workers, only a small facility producing fan cases for its large civil aero engines will remain from next year.
David Mitchell, managing partner of Manse, said: “Having successfully gained planning permission and delivered sales for Rolls-Royce on the company’s site in East Kilbride, this appointment is an excellent opportunity to work with them again.
“This is a site of such national significance; we are very excited to be involved.
“We look forward to delivering all the necessary consents that will be needed to unlock the sites’ potential.”
The new plan is someway off without a clear timescale, and a planning application has not yet been sought.
Richard Smith, managing partner of Opus Land, added: “This site represents a unique opportunity to bring economic benefits of a significant scale to the region and is set to become one of the most important redevelopment sites in the Midlands.
“It enjoys a location and scale capable of accommodating a range of occupiers with the ability to provide a single building of more than 500,000 sq ft.
“The redevelopment of this brownfield site has the potential to create thousands of new jobs and generate new business rates as well as helping to safeguard green belt land that might otherwise be released to meet pent up demand in the industrial sector.”
