Garden centre’s £4.5m upgrade well underway
Multi-million pound works to expand a major garden centre in West Sussex are well underway.
The first phase of works at Newbridge Nurseries Garden Centre in Broadbridge Heath – a £4.5million extension of the centre’s ‘shopping area’, new toilets and part of a new car park – are expected to be finished by Easter.
And the second phase of the expansion – a new cafe, new roof, an extension of the garden sundries area and the rest of the car park – are scheduled to be completed by September.
Newbridge general manager Steve Nicholls said: “There is a massive increase in space. It is going to look pretty special. No expense is being spared.”
He said the shopping area would include a huge increase in the fashion department, kitchen department and toy shop.
“Everything we already do will be bigger,” he added.
He said there would be a wider choice of foods in the food hall and it was planned that the seasonal Christmas area would be three times larger.
The car park is being extended from 120 spaces to 300 and Tarmac is being installed instead of gravel to make trolley movements easier. There will also be more disabled spaces and electric charging points - and new toilets will included a baby changing area.
The second phase of development will include a new cafe – called Kiplings – serving cakes and drinks while the centre’s Stooks restaurant will continue to serve a wide range of meals.
The garden centre currently employs 75 staff with another 50 working in the restaurant but the expansion means another 30 staff will be taken on in a range of roles from junior to senior positions.
The centre is remaining open throughout the renovations.