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Jaguar Land Rover i54 plant to bring an extra 200 jobs

An extra 200 jobs will be created with the expansion of Jaguar Land Rover's flagship new engine factory, it was revealed today.

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The boost in jobs was revealed as plans were submitted for the company's proposed extended plant on the i54 business park.

The creation of the first factory on the site is already under way.

And the expansion of the site to include the creation of a 250,000sq ft assembly hall would take the company's investment in the area from £355 million to £500m.

In the detailed plans revealed today, JLR bosses told how up to 200 construction jobs would be created if permission is granted for the extended plant.

Workers' shift patterns once the new factory is opened have also been unveiled, which show that the site will be manned virtually around the clock, while the detailed plans show all traffic to and from the factory – apart from public transport and emergency vehicles – will use the new M54 slip road now under construction in a bid to stop the busy Wobaston Road and the Three Tuns Roundabout being overloaded with traffic.

News of extra jobs will provide a vital lifeline to local building workers struggling in an industry gripped by its biggest downturn in decades and the news has been hailed by South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson as 'a massive boost'.

Work on the 250,000 sq ft extension is likely to get the go-ahead from planners later this summer, paving the way to transform the project on the i54 site, on the border between Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire, into the engine plant employing 1,300 people.

The site is a hive of activity as work on the existing factory buildings hits a peak.

Mark Green, project manager for factory builders Interserve, said: "Work has increased dramatically here on site, but is expected to hit a peak around July and August.

We're very busy as you can imagine, with approximately 250 people currently working on the site at any one time." South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson said today: "Up to 200 construction jobs is a massive boost, especially in a sector that has been struggling."

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