BMW submits application for Cowley Mini plant changes

Car manufacturer BMW has applied for planning permission to make changes at its Mini plant.

A planning application has been submitted to Oxford City Council on behalf of BMW Group at its Mini plant at Cowley.

It follows BMW's announcement that it will invest £600m to boost electric car production at the facility near Oxford.

Documents show the company plans to demolish, change or construct buildings to "increase operations".

The plant employs over 3,400 employees and apprentices, who together build up to 1,000 Mini cars a day.

The £600 investment is to help facilitate the production of two new electric Mini models such as the electric Mini Cooper 3-door and the electric Mini Aceman due to begin at the Cowley plant in 2026.

The German car giant said the proposed development would "secure operational resilience in an evolving market, futureproof the plant's success and safeguard current employment levels".

"Major investment at the Mini plant also demonstrates BMW's commitment to Oxford and the wider region," it added.

The intended changes, all of which would take place within the existing Cowley site, include extension of an existing logistics centre and a new trailer park.

The company also said it would produce about 200,000 cars a year "in the medium term" and that "conventional" cars and electric cars would be built on the same production line.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].