Cornwall County Council has given the thumbs up to a new coffee shop and retail space at Newquay Garden Centre.

Proprietor of the Quintrell Downs centre, Marc Dummett, hopes to fund the development through the E.U. Leader Programme, which supports projects that help businesses develop in rural areas.

Planning specialists Malcolm Scott Consultants prepared a site development plan, business case and planning application for the 8,956 sq ft development. In addition to the extension of the existing coffee shop, which will overlook landscaped grounds adjoining the site, the centre will convert 5,264 of commercial glasshouse to retail space.

Marc said: “This is a fantastic result for us. We were aiming to be ready for next Spring and we were amazed at how quickly planning consent was granted.”

Chris Primett of MSC said: “This extension will make a huge difference to the centre, creating much more footfall and increasing visit-length. We were confident the application would be approved as it was a sound business case, but we were given the green light in just seven weeks, which means Marc can accelerate his plans accordingly.”