Latest on plans to bulldoze Cheshire garden centre and build new one
The plans are expected to safeguard existing jobs and create a further 47 roles
By Cheshire Live
Weaver Vale Garden Centre in Winnington, Northwich, is set to be demolished and replaced with a much larger modern garden centre after councillors approved the plans.
Plans to demolish Weaver Vale Garden Centre in Winnington, Northwich, and replace it with a much larger modern facility have been approved.
Cheshire West and Chester Council has given the go-ahead for the redevelopment, which will see the existing garden centre buildings cleared and replaced with a new centre more than twice the size of the current site.
The scheme has been brought forward by Klondyke Strikes Garden Centres, which owns Weaver Vale Garden Centre. The company has operated the site for more than 20 years and had previously prepared expansion plans before the pandemic interrupted earlier proposals.
The approved plans will see the existing 51,400 sq ft garden centre replaced with a new 107,300 sq ft facility. The shop floor will increase from around 22,000 sq ft to 48,900 sq ft, giving the business significantly more indoor retail space.
The development will also include expanded outdoor sales areas, a covered outdoor display area, a larger restaurant-style café and a new warehouse to improve storage and product management.
Planning documents describe the proposal as the demolition of the existing garden centre buildings and the erection of a new garden centre including a shop, restaurant, covered outdoor display area, outdoor sales area, ancillary warehouse, extended parking and service yard areas.
A total of 361 parking spaces will be provided, including 19 disabled spaces, 17 parent-and-child spaces and four electric vehicle charging points.
The café is also set for a major upgrade. Reports on the planning approval say it will expand to around 5,000 sq ft, more than doubling in size and likely operating more like a restaurant than the existing coffee shop. A new 7,300 sq ft warehouse building is also included in the scheme.
For customers, the redevelopment should mean a more modern shopping experience, better layout, more space for plants and home products, improved accessibility and a stronger food and drink offer.
Weaver Vale Garden Centre is already a familiar destination for gardeners and families in the Northwich area. Klondyke describes the centre as offering plants, gardening advice, outdoor living, gifts, homewares and a coffee shop.
The approval is also significant for local employment. Earlier reports linked to the application said the redevelopment would protect existing jobs and create additional roles once the larger centre is operating.
Garden centres have changed considerably in recent years. Many now operate as leisure and retail destinations rather than simple plant shops, with cafés, restaurants, homeware, gifts, seasonal displays and outdoor living ranges becoming an important part of the business model.
The Weaver Vale redevelopment reflects that wider shift. A larger building will allow the operator to expand its sales areas, improve the customer experience and compete with other major garden centre destinations across Cheshire and the wider North West.
For Northwich and Winnington, the scheme represents a sizeable private investment in a long-established local retail site.
Supporters are likely to welcome the decision as a sign of confidence in the area, particularly at a time when many retail and hospitality businesses are facing rising costs and changing customer habits.
The existing centre has been criticised by some customers as needing modernisation, with public comments on the planning coverage describing the building as tired and in need of improvement. The new development is expected to address long-standing issues with the condition and layout of the site.
As with any major redevelopment, there will be disruption while demolition and construction take place. Customers will want to know how the work will be phased, whether trading can continue during parts of the project and when the new centre is expected to open.
The planning approval now gives Klondyke the green light to move ahead with the next stage of the project.
Once complete, the new Weaver Vale Garden Centre will provide a significantly larger retail, restaurant and outdoor sales destination for Northwich, Winnington and surrounding Cheshire communities.
The application can be viewed using planning reference 24/02288/FUL.