Fairways Garden Centre is adding to its existing two outlets by building a third just outside Coventry, at Brandon, on a 26-acre site.
The company says that, to its knowledge, it is probably the first new-build garden centre on a new site in the last 10 years.

Planning consultant Malcolm Scott told diyweek.net: "We achieved a good planning result after a lot of negotiation with the local planning authority on a very sensitive West Midlands Green Belt site."

He went on: "The garden centre has enormous potential and will be operated by a very well-run family garden centre."

The new centre, which will join Fairways' award-winning businesses at Ashbourne and Macclesfield, will include a new building with restaurant, open sales area, service yard, parking for 350 cars and landscaping.

There will also be an ornamental pond, demonstration gardens and a nature conservation area of up to 17 acres. This will include a wildlife pond and hibernaculae for protected species, providing an open buffer in the Green Belt.