In May last year, Mercedes unveiled their plans to make changes to its current headquarters in Brackley, costing the team nearly $89 million in expenses. The team has had its HQ in Brackley since 2010 after taking over Brawn GP. With its latest plan, the Silver Arrows plan on moving its main staff entrance from Lauda Drive to St James Road. However, per a report from BBC, the small firms on St. James Road are unhappy with the decision.
With the new entrance situated at St James Road, BBC quoted the Council Officials, who estimate the number of cars going down St James Road would increase from 57 to 528 during the morning peak.
MD of Canonbury Products Ltd on St James Road, Simon Wheeler, said, “Everyone is up in arms about the idea of this happening.” Stating the reason behind this, he said the company currently has “fairly unfettered” access to their premises and has no issues getting commercial vehicles in, but all that would change once the traffic increases nearly tenfold on the street.
Jeep-Chrysler also relies on the road to access their loading bay. Their Director, Przemyslaw Polak, is worried about their deliveries getting delayed. However, he added, “There’s not much we can do actually. They are a powerful company.”
Mercedes’ Chief Operations Officer Rob Thomas had reasoned about the facility upgrades that they are to make the staff more comfortable. He stated that upgrading these facilities will make people “happy” to come to work and it will generate “new ideas, and ultimately these ideas turn into lap time”.
Mercedes takes note of the locals’ concerns
Facing severe backlash for their proposed expansion from the locals, a Mercedes-AMG Petronas came forward to address the same. They said the team has taken note of the concerns of all residents and has reviewed them to ensure a desirable workflow. As such, the representative assured all concerned parties that the proposed work would have the least possible negative impact on the businesses.
Once the work begins, the entire process could take around 5 years to conclude. During the tenure, the operations in Brackley would see its workforce increase from 1400 to 1900. Given the same, the team will also be expanding its basic infrastructure, such as an extra car park, with a capacity of 659 vehicles.
Additionally, the organization will be improving the local footpaths and cycle paths around their site entrance. They will also add a new pedestrian crossing to Oxford Road and will undertake work on other roads to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
