Bentley reveals ambitions for campus-style manufacturing hub in Crewe

Automaker Bentley Motors has revealed proposals to turn its Cheshire site into a campus-style manufacturing hub.

The firm’s new development framework outlines the long-term future of its factory in Crewe and its position at the heart of the town’s economy.

Drawn up in consultation with Cheshire East Council, Bentley believes the framework provides a platform for the delivery a modern advanced manufacturing base with improved efficiency, security and productivity.

The company’s plan is to build a campus-style site that could expand in line with with its ambitions. The campus would, according to Bentley, be where design, research, engineering, manufacturing and security are “fully integrated within a single site with seamless connectivity that enables the efficient flow of people, goods and services”.

The framework is managed by Cheshire East Council’s arms-length Skills and Growth Company and seeks to outline the design, development and planning policy considerations to be used in the determination of future planning applications at the Bentley site.

Bentley’s aspirations for its expanded facility would see parts of nearby Pyms Lane and Sunnybank Road closed to the public. No decision has yet been made on these proposals, which form part of the consultation.

The framework will go before Cheshire East’s cabinet next week (December 6) for approval as a document for public consultation, following which a six-week public consultation would run from January 3 to February 14.

Cheshire East Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Don Stockton, said: “Bentley Motors’ operation at the Pyms Lane site is of paramount importance to the local, regional and indeed national economies and we would welcome the views of residents and businesses on this future vision for Bentley in Crewe.

“More than 4,000 people are employed directly by the company, which provides many apprenticeship opportunities locally. It is also Crewe’s largest single employer, accounting for more than £1bn of UK exports each year.”

He continued: “Alongside these benefits and its support for the creation of Crewe University Technical College, more than 80 of Bentley’s suppliers are located within 50 miles of the site, which subsequently benefits local businesses.

“This draft development framework seeks to show how Bentley’s long-term aspirations align with the council’s wider ambitions for growth and the regeneration in Crewe in the light of the opportunities afforded by HS2. By providing a clear potential future site boundary, the framework gives increased clarity between Bentley’s future growth ambitions and other developments locally.”

Bentley Motors’ chairman and CEO, Wolfgang Dürheimer, commented: “This development framework represents a long-term vision for what our factory could look like in the future, based on successfully achieving all of our business objectives over the coming years.

“It is vital that we plan for the long-term future of our business as we look to evolve our headquarters into industry-leading facilities within a single site.”