Above: site plan showing the proposed new restaurant (roof shaded green)

Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre at Taunton has obtained planning approval for a £1.5 million revamp and expansion of its Four Seasons restaurant.

MD Mike Lind said: “We want to invest in the future of the business and to continue to be a significant employer in the area.

“As a business, we’re committed to the community and to giving an excellent customer experience. Monkton Elm is a destination, family-orientated garden centre and our food offering is an essential part of this.

“The new restaurant will seat 350 people and the food will continue to be prepared by our chefs on-site in a brand new kitchen facility.”

Work on the 950 sq.m. development, which is approximately double the size of the current restaurant, is expected to start in summer 2014 and be completed by Christmas. The £1.5m investment makes it one of the biggest catering projects in Somerset. It could create 10 news jobs, bringing the site’s staffing total to around 100.

Lind said the planners at Taunton Deane Borough Council had been supportive of this project and efficient in processing the application.

The current restaurant will continue to operate as normal during the building work, which will extend across the top section of the outside plantarea.

Malcolm Scott Consultants were instructed to assist with the project’s design and planning.