New 250-seat restaurant taking shape at garden centre

Work is progressing on a £1.5m extension at a Yorkshire garden centre, which will feature a 250-seat restaurant once building is complete.

Selby Garden Centre instructed Malcolm Scott Consultants to secure planning permission for a series of improvements at the site in Osgodby, which will allow the business to double its turnover and create up to 30 jobs in the East Riding area.

The full redevelopment includes the restaurant, a 17,000 sq ft open sales area, a complete refurbishment of the existing shop and an extension to its car park, creating a further 70 car-parking spaces.

Chris Primett, of Malcolm Scott Consultants, said: “These extensions will provide Selby with an enlarged retail footprint which will have a significant impact on its performance; allowing the business to more than double its sales over the next five years.

“With social distancing now at the forefront of our minds, it is particularly important to allocate plenty of space within retail and catering areas to support customer and staff requirements now and for the foreseeable future.”

Adding: “We are delighted to have secured permission for over 40,000 sq ft of extensions within the open countryside, as it shows Selby District Council is supportive of the opportunities such development opens up for the business and the local community.

“With businesses potentially getting this kind of support throughout the UK to help the economy, now is the time to think about development and planning.

“I am sure we will see more of this kind of application from UK centres throughout 2020.

“Whilst businesses may not need to progress with work immediately, or at all, putting a business model and planning application in place for the coming years is something business owners should certainly consider to help them plan for the future.”