Firstly, we want to thank everyone for their patience. We appreciate that from an external perspective This is Gravity Ltd (TIG) has appeared to be relatively quiet until recently, specifically on occupier news.
During that time our team, supported by an array of stakeholders, has worked tirelessly to arrive at this very exciting point in our journey towards delivering a clean and inclusive smart campus.
Our site team has been working hard to ensure the site is fully remediated and has the benefit of a new access road to enable early occupiers. Our mission has been to be ‘ready’ to support early transition and implementation to deliver new investment and opportunities into the Gravity site, fulfilling its enterprise zone (EZ) objectives.
TIG can now proudly confirm that its first and primary occupier will be Agratas, the global battery business within the Tata Group, click here to read our press release.
We will continue to collaborate and support Agratas as they move into design and construction. Both parties will participate in the EZ governance groups and in the Local Development Order delivery group with statutory consultees.
Approximately 50% of the Gravity smart campus land area will remain in TIG landownership until further occupiers can be secured.
Other key TIG workstreams include the design of leisure facilities for the smart campus.
March 2024 Newsletter Highlights
- Gravity confirms Agratas as primary smart campus occupier
- Stakeholder feedback
- Gravity LDO recognised as a Transformation Tool
- Gravity Local Development Order (LDO) Delivery Group restarts
- Boost to Gravity’s workforce development.
- Gravity hosts heritage community event, celebrating ROF37
- Gravity expands its partnership with Bridgwater United FC
- Claire Pearce shortlisted for South West Leadership Awards
- Pride of Somerset Youth Awards 2024 supported by Gravity
- Agratas community update
Gravity confirms Agratas as primary occupier
TIG is proud to confirm Agratas as Gravity’s first and primary occupier. The smart campus will now transition into its implementation.
TIG will continue to work closely with Agratas, Somerset Council, Bridgwater & Taunton College and other stakeholders to deliver infrastructure, training and education, creating local jobs for local people and new opportunities for businesses in the region.
Stakeholder Feedback
The TIG team were thrilled with the support received from local stakeholders about the announcement. Thank you.
Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, said: “The South West has a fantastic innovation ecosystem geared towards achieving Net Zero, and it’s a great vote of confidence to see Agratas become part of that at Gravity. I look forward to exploring collaborative opportunities with them and other future occupiers of Gravity to advance the skills and R&D needed to tackle the climate emergency and boost our region’s growing reputation in energy futures”.
Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said: “This is a big boost for the regional economy and puts Somerset and the South West at the forefront of the UK’s transition to net zero. As the region’s international gateway, we’ll do everything we can to support this exciting project and its supply chain”.
John Wilkinson, Director of the Western Gateway, said: “It is great to see this huge investment in the UK which is a vital opportunity for our nation to make the most of the economic opportunities of the green transition.
…This new Gigafactory will be a key part of ensuring our area can deliver on its potential to become the UK’s Green Energy Powerhouse. I look forward to working with our neighbours in the Great South West to promote our area as a driving force in the UK’s economic future”.
Andy Berry, Principal and CEO of Bridgwater and Taunton College, welcomed the news. He said: “It’s an exciting time for Somerset and our community. We will be drawing on our extensive experience of responding to workforce needs at a global level. As the skills lead we will be working with employers, industry specialists and other educational institutions such as the University of Bristol to deliver a cohesive and comprehensive approach to workforce development, it will be a fantastic boost for the region”.
Gravity LDO recognised as a Transformation Tool
TIG welcomed the recognition of the use of a Local Development Order (LDO) to regenerate and transform brownfield sites. In December the Gravity LDO, adopted by Somerset Council, was singled out in the speech delivered at the RIBA by The Rt Hon Micheal Gove’s MP.
“Somerset Council is using a Local Development Order to transform a brownfield site off the M5, the former Royal Ordnance Factory, into a new Enterprise Zone – creating up to 1.1 million square metres of advanced manufacturing and smart campus space. We want to see more local authorities embracing what Somerset have done”
Local Development Order (LDO) Delivery Group restarts
TIG in collaboration with, Agratas, Somerset Council and delivery partners, are in the process of gearing up preparations for the implementation stage of the Gravity Local Development Order (LDO) adopted in February 2022 for the Gravity Smart Campus.
To assist with technical coordination the Gravity LDO Delivery Group is being restarted. This group which comprises statutory consultees and key delivery partners, helped to facilitate the preparation of the Gravity LDO between 2020-22.
The LDO Delivery Group will receive regular updates and briefings on the Gravity smart campus from TIG, Agratas, the Council and delivery partners on what proposals will be coming forward. This will inform further updates with the community and wider stakeholders through newsletters and site updates to ensure effect coordination and communication.
Members of the public can of course raise queries through key contact points for TIG, Somerset Council and Agratas – communityuk@agratas.net
Clean Growth Leadership Network
The Gravity team were excited to attend the CGLN opening of the Stock Exchange for their ‘Energising the Transition’ event, which looked at how we can supercharge the energy transition by securing an abundance of low cost, clean power for energy-intensive business.
Following a keynote by the Minister of State for Investment, Lord Johnson, In the first full session of the day, Martin Bellamy (CGLN Co-Founder and Chairman of This is Gravity) brought together Simon Baldey (SVP of Operations at Agratas), Lauren Pamma (Director at The Green Finance Institute) and Martin Wood (Chief Advisor at OFI).
They discussed how Agratas will build their gigafactory on the Gravity site, what this means for the UK automotive industry, how to bolster investment to attract similar projects and the opportunity to grow business through emerging supply chains.
Gravity hosts well-attended heritage community event, celebrating ROF37
TIG, supported by the South West Heritage Trust and Somerset Film, hosted an event in December to conclude a successful heritage project that begun in 2019.
The event was attended by more than 70 people, including local historians, members of the community, and former employees of the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF37). Together they were able to discuss and celebrate their shared memories of the site.
The curating and cataloguing of the South West Heritage Trust’s archive have not yet finished. The Trust would welcome help from any former Royal Ordnance Factory 37 employee who can contribute their knowledge to the process. If you, or someone you know, may have information or further stories to share, please contact the Trust at somersetarchives@swheritage.org.uk.
Community feedback shaping new Gravity leisure facilities
In early February, TIG’s team along with representatives from Stantec, Reed Holland Architects and PCL Planning hosted a well-attended in-person community event at the 37 Club.
At the event plans for a replacement community leisure facility were presented, it was a chance for staff and existing club members to share their opinions about the proposals.
Gravity received almost 100 feedback responses following the event, Gravity and its wider team have worked to incorporate the considerations of the community into the revised proposal that will be submitted as part of the Local Development Order (LDO) compliance submission.
The following aspects of the leisure facility were adapted in response to community feedback:
- The building has been increased in floorspace to facilitate increased function and leisure space and the overall flexibility of the building.
- The layout of the upper floor has been amended to separate the café/bar area from a function space but allowing flexibility through a connecting bar to increase the function space as required. This will facilitate a wider range of events.
- ROF 37 Memory Wall has been incorporated on the upper floor to provide an opportunity for the display of photographs and memorabilia, reflecting the important history of the ROF.
- The lower floor has been reorganized to ensure separation between the skittle alleys and the snooker tables to avoid conflict between the activities, including providing noise reduction measures.
- The seating area on the lower floor has been significantly increased to accommodate communal space for skittle teams during and after games, as well as for members generally.
Boost to Gravity’s workforce development
In October TIG convened Bridgwater & Taunton College (BTC) and the University of Bristol to further explore and strengthen collaboration.
The dialogue centered on BTC’s expertise and track record in employer engagement and the leadership role for Gravity on the workforce development strategy – aligning business needs to pathways to enable local people to connect to new training and job opportunities.
As a next step, the parties agreed to establish a Memorandum of Understanding and to initiate a mapping of respective strengths and educational ‘offer’ to form a baseline from which to build.
TIG expands its partnership with Bridgwater United FC
TIG is proud to support Bridgwater United Football Club (BUFC) with Gravity branding displayed pitch side at Fairfax Park. The Gravity – BUFC partnership is focused primarily on creating community social value through the delivery of the Gravity Sphero STEM initiative which launched in October 2022.
The Sphero initiative prioritises the engagement of young people to raise aspirations through the development of robotics and coding skills through the medium of football – in a way that is accessible to all.
Bridgwater & Taunton College / Bounce Forward event
On 20th March at BTC’s Bridgwater Campus will host a day of learning through a “train the trainer” model which will equip local stakeholders with their own “Resilient Futures” champions. The provision will support the development of a future workforce for Gravity and wider Somerset.
The focus of the day is mental health resilience, which is appropriate for both schools and colleges, and we can extend it to any employers working with young people.
Building on the Gravity sponsorship of Bounce Forward during the pandemic to work in local schools and colleges, this training will help to further embed and strengthen skills to develop a workforce for the future.
TIG sponsors 2024 Pride of Somerset Youth Awards
TIG are proud to be the main sponsor for the Pride of Somerset Youth Awards 2024, which honours the remarkable achievements of young individuals throughout the county who have made their families, friends, or community proud over the last twelve months.
As well as being the main sponsor and ‘Environmental’ award sponsor, Gravity are also delighted to introduce its key partners at Bounce Forward and Bridgwater United Community Sports Trust as sponsors of the ‘Championing Positive Mental Health’ and ‘Community Hero’ awards, respectively.
South West Leadership Awards
TIG’s Director of Planning and Economic Development, Claire Pearce, has been shortlisted for the ‘Transformational Leader’ category at the inaugural TheBusinessDesk.com South West Leadership Awards.
The awards celebrate and honour the very best of businesses of all sizes and sectors across the South West. The winners will be announced at the gala event on Thursday, April 25th, in central Bristol.
Agratas Community Update
After confirming their connection to the Gravity Smart Campus site, Agratas are now working on plans to continue building partnerships locally and strong relations with residents, in line with their community-first approach. Specifically, planning is underway to create opportunities for engagement with residents in the local area, including, an open house event in association with Bridgwater and Taunton Collegeto introduce the team behind the project and outline more about their plans. Agratas are currently working on the details and logistics to make this happen in weeks and months ahead and will update residents as soon as possible.
To receive updates from Agratas on the project, they invite you to join the Agratas WhatsApp Channel. They will be using this channel to update regularly with news that local communities will need to, or want to, be aware of.
Agratas can also be reached by email at: CommunityUK@Agratas.net
- Click here to read the Agratas community leaflet.
- Click here to join the Agratas WhatsApp Channel.
