in 1995 and was unopposed by Woking Borough Council, however the development of such a large industrial site in green belt land led the Department of the Environment to order a public inquiry. The Environment Secretary, John Gummer, gave the development his approval in March 1997 under rules which allow development in the green belt "in very special circumstances"; Gummer said the McLaren application was such a case due to the economic and business arguments of the proposals and that he took the view that "[McLaren] is exceptional, both in the quality of its products and its achievements." Work on the project, originally known as the Paragon Technology Centre, started in 1998 and about 4,000 construction workers were involved in what the Financial Times said "[was] claimed to be the biggest privately funded construction project in Europe." In February 2000, DaimlerChrysler purchased 40 percent of the McLaren Group and McLaren subsequently announced it would build the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren at the new facility. Ron Dennis explained one of his rationales for the project in 2000: "Put a man in a dark room, he's hot, it smells bad, versus a guy in a cool room, well-lit, smells nice... When you throw a decision at those two individuals, who's going to be better equipped to effect good judgment and make a good decision?" McLaren employees started using the facility in May 2003. McLaren has not disclosed the project's cost, but BBC News suggested a figure of £300m. McLaren Production Centre A second facility, the McLaren Production Centre, was built beside the McLaren Technology Centre in 2011 and serves as the production site of McLaren Automotive's road cars, including the McLaren 720S and McLaren Senna. Extension Planning permission for an extension to the McLaren Production Centre was granted in 2016. This "applied technology centre" will include "an aerodynamic research facility, workshops, research and development space, offices, meeting rooms, teaching and training space, vehicle preparation and assembly spaces, together with terraced car parking and two car park decks, cycle parking, a replacement helipad, and service areas." Sale On April 20, 2021, New York Stock Exchange listed REIT, Global Net Lease (NYSE: GNL), announced that they had agreed to acquire the McLaren Group Headquarters in a sale-leaseback transaction for £170 million. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021 and will include a 20-year, NNN lease with no landlord obligations. The