Extension of more than 40,000 sq ft planned at garden centre

Work is underway on a £1.5m extension at Selby Garden Centre, after the firm Malcolm Scott Consultants (MSC) obtained planning permission for a series of improvements.

These should enable the business to double its turnover, while creating up to 30 jobs in the East Riding area.

The garden centre planning and retail specialists worked with Mark Noble, managing director at the centre, to prepare plans for 40,634 sq ft of additional space at the Hull Road site.

When complete it will include a 250-seat restaurant, a new 17,000 sq ft open sales area, a complete refurbishment of the existing shop, and a car park extension creating a further 70 car parking spaces.

Chris Primett, of MSC, said: “The site was too small to be profitable, and these extensions will provide the centre with an enlarged retail footprint which will have a real impact on its performance, allowing the business to more than double its sales over the next five years.

“It is particularly pleasing to get permission for over 40,000 sq ft of extensions within the open countryside, as it shows that the authority is sympathetic to the opportunities such development opens up for the business and the community.”