Aerospace group Meggitt is planning to close one of its factories in Birmingham - placing 200 jobs under threat - to create a new £130 million "super site" in Coventry.

The company says it intends to close its base in Wharfdale Road, Tyseley, and two other factories in Coventry and Maidenhead and consolidate them into the new plant.

It estimates around 1,000 staff will be based at the new 440,00 sq ft facility on Ansty Park, north east of Coventry city centre.

Some of the expansion plans have been announced by the company today but the closure of its Birmingham factory was outlined in a leaked internal memo penned by chief operating officer Tony Wood and sent to our sister title the Coventry Telegraph .

Infographic about Meggitt opening a new factory at Ansty Park in Coventry

Meggitt manufactures components and systems for customers in the aerospace, defence and energy markets and employs 11,000 people across Asia, Europe and North America.

It is aiming to bring together a range of manufacturing operations, aircraft braking systems, control systems, customer services and support and corporate shared spaces.

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The Ansty Park facility will have an engineering and manufacturing centre of excellence and capability for aerospace thermal management technology.

The company is hoping to relocate staff at the three plants earmarked for closure to the new hub at Ansty Park, including the circa 200 employees in Tyseley.

Meggitt said it had been in informal talks with the union representatives over the past months.

A statement added: "Inevitably, there may be some people who may not want to move to a new location and the company accepts that all colleagues have options.

"As part of the consultation process, all colleagues would be informed about their options and, in the first instance, the company would look to redeploy colleagues where appropriate.

"It is the company's intention not to have to make compulsory redundancies but where new roles and new ways of working are created this may be a potential consequence.

"We are now entering a period of formal consultation and therefore it is not possible for us to comment further."

It is not thought the company's other plants in Birmingham are affected by this latest announcement.

The new site is set to be operational by the end of 2019.

Mr Wood said in a statement: "We are proud of our heritage, both in the UK and here in the Midlands, which has underpinned our ability to secure strong market positions on new aircraft programmes.

Sketch of plans for a new £130 million Meggitt facility on Ansty Park, in Coventry
Sketch of plans for a new £130 million Meggitt facility on Ansty Park, in Coventry

"This planned new facility marks a major advance in the development of our global manufacturing footprint and strategically positions us for sustainable growth.

"By bringing world-class innovation and operational delivery together on this site, we will accelerate Meggitt's ability to meet the current and future needs of our customers worldwide."