Car production set to resume at Browns Lane after new land deal
AUTOMOTIVE group CPP Global Holdings has signed an exclusive purchase agreement which will see car production resume at one of the most historic manufacturing sites in the West Midlands.
CPP, which produces the Spyker supercar , has agreed an exclusive option deal with regional development agency Advantage West Midlands to purchase 23 acres at the former Browns Lane in Coventry, once home to Jaguar.
The firm, which also acquired the motorsport manufacturer Bowler earlier this year, plans to bring all its current operations in the city to the new site within five years.
CPP will submit planning applications before the end of the year, with the multi-million pound redevelopment project anticipated to start in the second quarter of 2012.
The firm has applied for part-funding for the project through the Regional Growth Fund – and the success of that bid will be key to the progress of the Browns Lane project.
AWM originally acquired the Browns Lane site in December 2008. The plan then was to develop the site into a mixed-use development comprising an office, light manufacturing and distribution scheme together with 174 houses.
The site, which is now served by a new distributor road, has been renamed Lyons Park in recognition of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons, who started the Swallow Sidecar Company at the site which evolved into Jaguar Cars.
The land is one of the prime assets being transferred from AWM to the Homes and Communities Agency after the Government announced it was axing RDAs last year.
CPP currently operates from five sites across the city and employs around 250 staff working on component manufacturing, body-in-white engineering, prototype vehicle production and low-volume vehicle assembly.
Founder and co-owner Brendan O’Toole said the move would see the company “expand significantly”. Full details of the automotive group’s proposals will be announced when planning approvals are finalised.
“This is a decisive moment in CPP’s strategy to cement Coventry’s reputation as a world-class centre of automotive excellence. In conjunction with my business partner, Vladimir Antonov, we’ve successfully and significantly grown CPP over the last few years, with further expansion planned,” he said.
