Strikes garden centre destroyed by fire in April says it will be “business as usual” within weeks, when a new temporary building opens its doors.

A 2,025 square metre structure, including a kitchen, café, retail area and toilets, is being built at the centre and should be open by mid-July.

The new building, on an adjoining field, will be used for the next 12-18 months until Strikes can be permanently rebuilt from scratch.

David Clark, project manager for the Strikes Garden Centre temporary building, said: “Obviously the fire has been devastating for local customers and our colleagues. We’re not a centre that just sells plants and flowers, the local public and people from far and wide will visit Strikes for days out. The garden centre interacts with the community and is proud of its synergy with neighbourhood schools and colleges.

“Unfortunately, this fire has come at possibly the busiest time of the year for a garden centre. We are immensely grateful that when the fire hit, the building was unoccupied and that there were no injuries to members of the public, our colleagues or to the fire service. Thankfully, we’re pleased to say that we won’t be out of action for too long, and our new building from Spaciotempo will be as good as new and business as usual.”