Northumberland Estates has revealed plans to build a new high quality garden centre on land at Cawledge to the East of the A1 in Alnwick. The business has submitted a pre-planning submission to Northumberland County Council and is also preparing an on-line public engagement event so that people can view and comment on the plans.
Blue Diamond will occupy the new garden centre. One of the major garden centre firms in the UK, Blue Diamond runs 44 garden centres throughout the UK and the Channel Islands. The site has a total internal floor area of 8,130 sq m, an external plant sales area of 3,400 sq m, and 618 parking spaces and includes facilities for outdoor and indoor plants as well as areas for gardening products, leisure and homeware, and outdoor furniture.
The store is expected to attract a significant footfall, create over 150 new full and part-time jobs and represents an investment of around £13m from Northumberland Estates, which will further enhance Alnwick’s reputation as a destination for retail, leisure, food and hospitality.
The proposals will broaden the range of retail options available to Alnwick residents and those living nearby, and the occupier has committed to purchasing local goods whenever possible, which Northumberland Estates is keen to promote.
The director of planning and development for Northumberland Estates, Colin Barnes, stated: “Our ambition is to have the best garden centre in the North East based here in Alnwick and we are delighted that Blue Diamond has selected the town as the location. We look forward to working with them to deliver the development which will bring a range of benefits to the town.”
Northumberland Estates and Blue Diamond have developed a website for consultation to obtain residents’ opinions on the planned proposals as part of the pre-application. The consultation website will run from for 3 weeks 27 July to 17 August.
