Think of a car factory and you probably imagine an ugly, sprawling warehouse on the outskirts of town.

But when BMW unveiled plans yesterday for a new Rolls-Royce motor plant at Goodwood, near Chichester, the designs were unique.

The £60 million development, which will create 350 jobs, will be built underground and the site will be landscaped and screened to reduce its impact on the environment.

It will also have a green roof, covered with turf and plants, to further help it blend in.

The plans are the brainchild of architects Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, and designers claim the new factory will be quieter than a supermarket, with just two robots used in the production process.

Motorists will be able to see the luxury cars being made through a huge glass screen, but because the vehicles are so specialised only five will be built per day.

A BMW spokesman said the plans had been drawn up carefully to take the surroundings into consideration.

He said: "The majority of buildings will be located partly below ground level in an area created by gravel extraction.

"A specially-constructed lake at the front of the buildings will receive rainwater from the roof and the site, which will be recycled."

The next big hurdle for the company is to obtain planning permission for the plant. It will submit a full application to councillors in the next fortnight.

If the plans are approved, work could start on the 30-acre site in spring.

German motor giant BMW has acquired the rights to Rolls-Royce and will have taken it over by 2003, when the factory is expected to open.

BMW spokesman Fred Fruth said: "The factory is not going to be a large, square building spitting out thousands of cars a year, which is the normal procedure in a car factory.

"This plant is going to be totally different. These are no ordinary cars, they are Rolls-Royces. They will be built to high standards."

The factory will build a new generation of cars, although BMW bosses remain tight-lipped about details of the new model.

They say it will be kept secret until 2003 when it goes into production, although they insist Rolls-Royce will keep its independence.

Mr Fruth said: "Due to the fact that Rolls-Royce is purely an outstanding marque, we have decided to run and maintain Rolls-Royce as a completely independent brand.

"Unlike the Mini, the Rolls-Royce will not be offered through the world-wide BMW network. We will set up an independent dealership through which we will sell the cars."

The development is expected to create 350 new jobs, drawing skilled workers from boat-building businesses across the South Coast.

Vehicle testing will be carried out on the nearby Goodwood motor circuit.

The site is less than ten miles from West Wittering, where the firm's co-founder, Sir Henry Royce, lived and worked until his death in 1933.

Rolls-Royce cars are currently made at Crewe in Cheshire, which will continue to produce Bentleys.

The plans have been welcomed by car enthusiasts.

Philip Hall of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club said: "We are very excited about these proposals. It appears to be a factory worthy of making the best car in the world."