Planning for a new taxi assembly facility

London Electric Vehicle

The London Taxi Corporation—now called London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC)—was historically located in Coventry. But, when LEVC wanted to secure planning permission for a new assembly and research and development facility that would support their electric-vehicle ambitions, a suitable site in Coventry couldn’t be found. The successful site choice—close to the M69 at Ansty Park—would deliver approximately 39,000 square metres of space.

The proposed development is a state-of-the-art facility for the research, development, and assembly of high technology electric vehicles, including the next generation of the iconic London taxi. The site will be the Company’s new headquarters and will include a substantial research and development department, supply chain team, global sales and marketing group, and administrative functions necessary to support the assembly operations of the new vehicles.

However, Ansty Park is a major employment location within the green belt, and the concern was that a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) would need to be conducted which would impact investment and construction programs. On top of developing the facility’s planning strategy, we conducted pre-application meetings to satisfy the owners that a new EIA was not required and their investment program would not be delayed. After a formal screening request was submitted, the Rugby Borough Council confirmed that the development proposal and planning application did not require an EIA.

With the new facility at Ansty Park, LEVC was ready to deliver the next generation of the iconic London taxi—electric and environmentally friendly.