A POPULAR garden centre's plans to expand its car park to meet customer demand have been approved.

A total of 88 car parking spaces will be created on the grounds of Perrywood Garden Centre in Tiptree.

The plans state the garden centre is at “full capacity in terms of car parking” and they are “unable to accommodate the quantity of customers they are receiving.”

The garden centre previously increased the number of parking spaces by 40 following the approval of plans in 2017.

Since the expansions of the car park, the green area where the car park will be developed has been used as an overflow parking area.

A planning statement said: “The application site is sometimes used as a car park buffer during peak periods and dry weather conditions to accommodate high levels of customers and staff."

The current plans, which have been approved by Colchester Borough Council, will increase the existing number of spaces to 408.

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There will also be a number of disabled parking spaces and electric vehicle points provided.

Tristan Bourne, operations director, said: “We are excited that we've been granted planning permission to extend the car park at Tiptree, which will give us more year-round parking spaces.

“We don't have any timings at present but are busy liaising with contractors to make it happen.”