New M5 junction to be built for £4bn gigafactory

The location of a new M5 junction has been revealed as part of plans for the UK's biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery plant.

A £4bn gigafactory is under construction by Agratas, Tata Group's global battery business, between Puriton and Woolavington in Somerset.

A new junction, dubbed '22A', has been designed to alleviate pressure on the motorway and will be constructed immediately to the north of the former freight line which once served it.

National Highways said it is "looking to deliver this scheme at the earliest opportunity."

Plans for a new junction were teased back in June 2024 as part of the £150m Gravity locality investment plan, designed to deliver vital infrastructure in and around the site, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The main building at the site, which used to be a Royal Ordnance factory producing explosives for the military, will not open until 2027.

Agratas recently published revised plans for the first phase of the project, including the first stage of a ring road which will eventually link the new motorway junction to Enterprise Way, which were put on public display at a meeting on 1 April.

The junction's location is constrained by the proximity of the Huntspill River and the nearby nature reserve, which runs along the Gravity site's northern boundary.

In means junction 22A will only serve southbound traffic coming to the gigafactory, with one slip road on the southbound site taking cars to the site from Bristol, Weston-super-Mare and Highbridge, and one northbound slip road returning them to the northbound M5.

"We are working with the government to explore opportunities, including a new junction, to alleviate additional pressure on the M5 between junctions 22 and 23, said Regional delivery director Colin Bird.

"As plans develop, we will engage with local stakeholders to ensure they are informed of proposals and how it may impact them."

National Highways has not confirmed how much it will cost to deliver the new junction.

The agency is expected to hold public engagement events on the draft proposals before the end of the year, giving local residents and businesses a chance to give their feedback before formal plans are submitted to the Department for Transport (DfT).

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