Dobbies to open in Peterborough

MORE than 100 jobs are to be created in Peterborough after plans by a leading garden centre operator for a new store were given the green light.

Construction of the new £8 million Dobbies Garden Centre in Hampton will begin later this year, after Peterborough City Council granted planning permission for the 50,000 square foot centre.

It is hoped construction work on the centre, which will create 120 jobs, will turn Hampton into a new shopping district for the city, as Dobbies will be located just across the road from the popular Serpentine Green Shopping Centre.

Half of the staff employed at the centre would receive specialist training from the firm, to give them horticultural knowledge and expertise.

Stuart Wright, Dobbies director of property, said he was pleased the firm was able to start work on the centre.

He said: “We’re delighted to be a step closer to opening our first Dobbies Garden World in Peterborough.

“We want to thank the council for its enthusiasm for economic development in the region and for its continued support in backing our planning application which will allow us to bring a new generation of garden centre to customers in the Cambridgeshire area.

“We are investing some £8 million in the project, which will create 120 new jobs for the community, all of which in turn will have a significant effect on the local economy for many years to come.”

The Peterborough planning submission received an overwhelming positive response at public consultation stage.

Source : Stephen Briggs - Peterborough Evening Telegraph