The new UK motorway junction being built to serve major £4 billion gigafactory

A major UK motorway is set to get a new junction ahead of the construction of a huge "gigafactory".    

Sleepy Somerset could soon be driving forward with a new M5 junction, serving as a vital conduit to the county's upcoming gigafactory.

Agratas, a subsidiary of the renowned Tata group, has unveiled ambitious plans for a £4bn gigafactory at the Gravity site, nestled between Puriton and Woolavington near Bridgwater, announced in late February.

The project is expected to generate a staggering 4,000 jobs.

In a show of commitment, Somerset Council declared in early March its intention to inject up to £150m into essential infrastructure to support the gigafactory, with funds sourced from central government grants and retained business rates from the development.

Fresh insights into how these investments will be allocated were recently divulged by the council, reported Somerset Live. These highlighted proposals for a brand-new motorway junction and a revived rail link to bolster the site's connectivity.

During a recent executive committee meeting held in Taunton, it was revealed that a substantial portion of the investment, amounting to £74m, is earmarked for "strategic site access and movement". This includes the creation of a "second road connection from Junction 22A" and the erection of a main thoroughfare slicing through the Gravity site.

Already linked to the A39 Bath Road near Junction 23 via a £10.3m link road completed in 2019, the council argues that this existing route alone falls short of handling the expected traffic flow to the site, especially when the gigafactory swings into full production mode.

A spokesperson said: "The specification of this access road was based on the outline planning consent granted in 2017 and does not reflect the requirements or expectations for larger scale advanced manufacturing inward investment. Currently, additional access requirements are likely to comprise of a new junction on the M5 (junction 22A) that would serve the site directly, as well as improvements to junction 23.

"Both schemes comprising of works to the strategic road network (SRN) would be funded via central government. The connection from junction 22A through the main site and connecting back to the Gravity access road would, however, be locally funded."

"This link road/internal spine road would provide both access to Gravity and wider public benefit, providing alternative access between the A39 and the M5.  The specification of this road has yet to be finalised and the indicative cost also includes associated active travel provision and drainage."

Although an exact spot for the mooted junction 22A has not been disclosed by the council, it's anticipated to be located south of the Huntspill River. Such a location promises the most straightforward path from the motorway to the Gravity site while ensuring minimal interference with the essential flood defence and the adjacent nature reserve.

The Dunball roundabout near junction 23 is set for a major overhaul, with plans to convert it into a 'throughabout' in the coming year, thanks to funding from the Bridgwater town deal and the government's levelling up fund.

Eagerly awaiting news on a hefty £6.4m bid submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT), the council hopes to revamp the Edithmead roundabout at junction 22 as part of a wider improvement project reaching to Bristol Airport. Councillor Ros Wyke, who oversees economic development, planning and assets, expressed the council's anticipation: "This is a significant investment, not just in the short term but in the medium term for this council. It's exciting and will deliver huge benefits."

A slice of the £74m earmarked for transport upgrades around the anticipated gigafactory has been allocated for restoring the railway connection between the Gravity site and the main Bristol to Exeter line.  The historic Royal Ordnance rail link still boasts an intact trackbed and space for a single track over the M5 past junction 23, but experts estimate that restoring this connection could cost a whopping £50m.

There's also talk of pumping additional cash into enhancing bus routes to Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Highbridge, and nearby villages, in line with the Bridgwater local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP) - not to mention crafting new pedestrian and cycle paths. 

A spokesperson commented: "There is an opportunity to reinstate rail connection into the Gravity site for freight and potentially passengers, and this is facilitated by the approved local development order (LDO) parameters plan for the site. The focus of any investment into public transport will be on supporting sustainable options both on-site and also opportunities that provide wider locality benefits."

"This could include therefore direct support for new or enhanced bus services both within Gravity and also connecting the site to the wider locality. Active travel investment will include pedestrian and cycle routes within the site, as well as those that will connect the site with adjoining population centres.

"They will enable a wider choice of sustainable transport opportunities within and to the site. Current obligations within the section 106 agreement will also deliver active travel routes connecting Puriton and Woolavington."

In May 2023,  Somerset Council gave the green light for planning permission for new active travel routes linking the villages of Puriton and Woolavington, complete with outdoor 'fitness zones'. Of the £76m reserved in the council's investment strategy, a whopping £45m is allocated for cutting-edge energy infrastructure, including a crucial new link to the National Grid set to be established before building a fresh substation commences.

The council's climate and place executive director Mickey Green, explained that having an array of power sources is key to luring in businesses. He said "If you want to attract this kind of business, providing multiple sources of power is key.

"Even if you cover the whole facility with solar panels, which Agratas intends to do, this would only provide two per cent of the power."

"It needs a bonkers amount of energy, to use a non-technical term. Once the second connection is in place, the first connection becomes available for other investors in the site."

The council has set aside £20m for "workforce development", which will see the creation of a new training centre and the launch of collaborative programmes with local schools and colleges. The Gravity locality investment plan is expected to be laid out before the full council for final approval come June 18.