Ashfords advises council on consenting for £4bn battery gigafactory

Law firm Ashfords has been appointed to advise Somerset Council on the consenting, funding and development of a £4 billion battery gigafactory in Bridgwater by Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business.

The gigafactory is expected to produce nearly half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector by the early 2030s.

The re-development of the site is seen as an opportunity for Somerset Council to establish a nationally significant manufacturing base that will attract international operators and create up to 7,500 jobs.

The site was previously used for manufacturing munitions during World War II and is located within a designated enterprise zone.

The law firm has advised the council on public sector funding mechanisms, procurement, subsidy control and grant funding structures. In addition, Ashfords advised in relation to the planning agreement, which sets out the framework for how the campus will be managed and enabled the council to make a local development order.

Lucy Woods, head of Ashfords’ public sector offering, said: “It has been a real pleasure to work with the council team on this groundbreaking project, it is particularly exciting as the ambitions of the site dovetail with our firm’s strong commitment to a green future.”

Ashfords was instructed via the CCS framework.