No L 6/36 Official Journal of the Buropean Communities 11. 1. 92 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 31 July 1991 concerning aid provided by the Derbyshire County Council to Toyota Motor Corporation, an undertaking producing motor vehicles (Only the English text is authentic) (92/11/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first subpara- graph of Article 93 (2) thereof, Having given notice (") in accordance with the above Article to interested parties to submit their comments, Whereas : On 18 April 1989 Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and the United Kingdom Government announced that Toyota had decided to build a new plant to produce passenger cars on a 280-acre site at Burnaston, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. Production was envisaged to commence by the end of 1992 with an initial target of 100 000 vehicles a year rising eventually to 200 000 at which stage direct employment at the plant should amount to 3 000. Total investment was estimated at £ 400 million (ECU 570 million). The investment would proceed with no financial assistance from central government. The local authorities in Derbyshire had offered modest assistance towards a number of aspects of the project, such as site preparation and road access. It was made clear that, should such assis- tance be deemed notifiable to the Commission, the United Kingdom Government would take the necessary steps. On 26 April 1989 the United Kingdom authorities wrote to the Commission confirming this commitment on notification. On 7 February 1990 the United Kingdom authorities wrote to the Commission informing it that discussions () OJ No C 325, 28. 12. 1990. between. Toyota and the Derbyshire County Council (DCC) on the provision of a package of local measures for the former were near finalization. These measures consisted of various infrastructure services outside the Toyota site and other services required to meet increased local needs arising from the Toyota investment. None of these measures, the United Kingdom authorities stated, contained anything which could be regarded as State aid as defined in Article 92 of the EEC Treaty. About this period press reports appeared indicating that the site had increased in size from the initial 280 acres to 580 acres and had been sold to Toyota for less than its full market value. Most of these press reports drew in large part on the minutes of a meeting of the Policy Committee of the DCC held on 21 November 1989, which had also become available to the Commission. These minutes disclosed that the DCC had agreed a package of measures on the assembly and preparation of a site for the plant and on the sale to Toyota of a core 280- acre site as the company had originally requested as well as an additional contiguous site of 300 acres which Toyota had subsequently requested. The financial breakdown of this package was estimated by the DCC as follows: — sale of 280 acres at £ 35350 per acre : £ 9,9 million — sale of 300 acres at £ 28 000 per _ acre : £ 8,4 million Total £ 18,3 million — estimated cost of land assembly: £ 13,4 million — estimated net cost of access and service provision : £ 4,9 million Total £ 18,3 million