Plans for a Nissan-led “education and training facility” aiming to “create a new generation of skilled local workers in electric vehicle and battery technology” have been submitted to city development bosses.
Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for an industrial unit (unit five) at Infiniti Drive, Hillthorn Business Park, in Washington.
Plans have been submitted by Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd and are seeking permission for an “education and training facility” at the site along with a new security gate, fencing and external flues and condenser units.
A covering letter submitted to council officials notes the proposed development would be “one of two open access training facilities within the International Advanced Manufacturing Strategic Site, in Sunderland [and] part of the NE Investment Zone (the other being an existing training facility called SASMI)”.
Together, the “skills and innovation centres” would become the home of
MADE NE (Manufacturing, Automation, Digitalisation, Electrification North East), a major initiative announced last summer.
The initiative will receive funding from the North East Combined Authority and will be led by Nissan with partners “on behalf of the region’s advanced manufacturing sector, with a particular focus on electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing”.
The covering letter sets out details of how the site would be “reconfigured internally to accommodate the training facility”, including “six bespoke rooms within the building for groups of around 14” and “eight shop floor training areas provided for small groups of six learners within the main warehouse floorspace”.
Proposed training at the site would include “activities such as welding and fabrication, body shop work, AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) training, material handling training and robotics training”.
A dining / breakout space, office / seminar room and admin room would also be provided at ground floor level, while the existing first and second level office accommodation would be retained and used for offices / seminar space.
Image: Google
It was noted that “training sessions will generally take place between 8am and 6pm, but there may be occasions when training events might be held, like lectures or open evenings”.
Applicants noted that “the start and end times of any training sessions will avoid clashing with [Nissan’s] scheduled staff shift change over times”.
The covering letter adds: “As part of the region’s North East Investment Zone (IZ) programme, significant investment is being made into MADE NE.
“This is a £14.6 million project which is expected to receive £9.6m from the North East Combined Authority.
“The project is being led by NMUK (Nissan) on behalf of the automotive sector and its aim is to create a new generation of skilled local workers in EV and battery technology.
“Integral to this approach is industry leadership, establishing a new way of working in an open access facility across further and higher education and independent training providers alongside industrial innovation.
“The facility will include at scale industry representative equipment and draw on industry leadership in the training provision.
“The proposed training facility at unit 5, Hillthorn, is a key component of this project.”
Planning documents stated the facility would “focus on the skills and innovation required for scaling up in the new manufacturing technologies required within the electric vehicles and battery sector” and noted that “70 allocated parking spaces” were “considered appropriate to support the training facility”.
Those behind the scheme added the plans were “being funded within the IZ for the International Advanced Manufacturing Strategic Site” and that “there are not any other vacant buildings within this IZ that are on land not allocated for employment uses”.
It was also noted that the site is “the only site that is suitable with the scale of facility and required proximity to key industrial partners that will be / become future employers to the trainees of the centre”.
The covering letter continues: “The facility also needs to be located here, as opposed to one of the other IZs within the North East, due to the presence of the existing automotive cluster which includes NMUK [Nissan], Vantec and AESC.
“These companies are driving forward EV and battery technology with thousands of staff being employed here and further staff are to be employed at the AESC battery gigafactory once it becomes operational.
“Furthermore, the training facility needs to be located very close to these companies so that existing staff can return to work quickly after having undertaken their training.
“It is therefore clear that there are exceptional reasons from a strategic and operational perspective for a training facility to be provided at unit 5, Hillthorn Business Park.”
A decision on the planning application will be made later this year following a council consultation exercise.
For more information on the plan, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/01589/FU4
