Plans for Rolls Royce Scotch Corner factory 'in doubt'

In 2022, the business shortlisted a site at Scotch Corner, next to the A1(M), to bring a new manufacturing site for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme.

However, doubts about whether this will happen in the future have now been expressed after the company said they are 'exploring other channels' for factories and manufacturing options.

An overview of the Scotch Corner Development site (Image: PLANNING) It was expected that the factory would have invested £200m into the region and brought about 300 jobs to the area, but fresh doubts about whether this factory will ever be built have been raised. 

A spokesperson for Rolls Royce SMR, which is separate from the car brand, highlighted that the "criteria had changed" and that building a factory at Scotch Corner right now wouldn't be in its interest. 

Speaking to The Northern Echo, a Rolls Royce SMR spokesperson said: "We've had a couple of governments since the initial announcement about Scotch Corner, and the pace needed to progress has been curtailed somewhat. 

Here is what was initial planned for the Scotch Corner Development site (Image: PLANNING) "We've gone in a different direction, and while we're still building UK factories, we've identified other sites."

Despite the comments from Rolls Royce, the company has shone a slight hope on a factory in the future, noting that it might "return to the plans in the future" - but said that it would be "unfair" to still include Scotch Corner on its shortlisted site plans.

A Rolls Royce Factory in the UK (Image: PA MEDIA) The spokesperson added: "We're going to look to the supply chain for manufacturing and continue with this. 

"We might revisit plans in the future, but since it was first announced about Scotch Corner, our criteria has changed."

A Rolls Royce worker (Image: PA MEDIA) This news from Rolls Royce comes after reports suggested that they were closing in on trying to build two mini-nuclear reactor plants in Sweden and The Netherlands, while also opening a new testing facility in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, in May this year.

It's not known at this time whether other businesses will be approached about the proposed 23,000 square metre factory with planning permission not yet sought for the site by any business.

Most read:

• Homeless man stole and robbed from Durham and Bishop Auckland stores in summer spree
• The hopes for this former County Durham hotel sat empty with smashed windows
• Plans to build 13 houses behind County Durham pub outlined with council

   

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Get access to the latest offer for annual or monthly subscription. Click here for details.

This proposed factory building forms part of the wider Scotch Corner Development, which is expected to bring a TV and film production facility, as well as the Scotch Corner Designer Village and Garden Centre.

However, delays in the building work for the Designer Village, which will feature top brand names like Levi's, Calvin Klein, and Adidas, have currently pushed back the opening date of the first phase to March 2026.

Following the comments from Rolls Royce, Councillor Angus Thompson, who covers the North Richmondshire division, confirmed that the car company had "all but pulled out of the site" - while he has previously expressed concerns about the overall Scotch Corner Development - citing traffic and safety worries, as well as the delays in the project.