Next phase for UK's biggest gigafactory

The Gravity 616-acre Enterprise Zone near Puriton will be the home of the UK's biggest car battery factory

The next stage of traffic controls to allow works on the UK's biggest electric car battery factory, will start next month.

The works, being carried out by JSM Group Services Ltd are needed to connect the Puriton site to Bridgwater’s electricity substation.

The overall project is expected to take two years to build and will involve around 2,000 construction workers.

Richard Wilkins from Somerset Council said they will try to limit any disruption caused, espcially by the most significant works which will be on the A39.

Agratas, part of the Tata Group, are building the £4bn plant near Bridgwater

The first phase of the project on Westonzoyland Road and Bower Lane is almost finished, and further work on Bower Lane and the A39 Bath Road start soon, the council has said.

• Bower Lane: The southern section is scheduled to be closed in phases from 9 September to late December.

• A39 Bath Road: Work due to start on 19 September and run until mid-November, with a one-way system from Crandon Bridge to the junction with Bower Lane.

Mr Wilkins said the benefits for jobs and the economy that come with "this huge investment" are "hugely important to the county’s future".

“A development of this scale needs supporting infrastructure, and that usually means work on the highway with some unavoidable disruption," he said.

"We’re working closely with everyone involved to coordinate the works and limit the disruption as much as possible.”

Clearly signposted diversions

An Agratas spokesperson said their team is working with Somerset Council to keep disruptions "to a minimum".

Diversions will be clearly signposted and access maintained at all times for directly affected businesses and homes.

Any one-way arrangements will be lifted for the Carnival season between 30 October to 4 November and over the festive period.