Dobbies Garden Centres is set to open a new £10 million flagship store at The Junction Retail Park in Antrim.

Planning approval has been granted for the new development, which is expected to create 100 new jobs and attract one million customers per year.

The new 110,000sq ft unit will represent one of the largest in the Dobbies' UK Garden Centre estate.

Welcoming the new flagship store, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Councillor Billy Webb said: "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Dobbies to Antrim. This new flagship store will bring over 150 new full and part time jobs to the Borough and represents another significant investment which will further enhance Antrim's reputation as a destination for retail, leisure, food and hospitality."

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Graeme Jenkins, Chief Executive at Dobbies, commented: "We're delighted to have been given the green light to move ahead with our plans to open our store at The Junction, building on the success of our established Lisburn garden centre. 

"Its prime position off the M2, just north of Belfast City Centre and towards the popular Antrim coast, will allow us to bring the Dobbies experience to a new area within Northern Ireland."

Chief Executive of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Jacqui Dixon added: "The support we are providing to Investors together with the efficient performance of our Planning Service is the reason why this Council is set to attract over £1Billion of investment to Antrim and Newtownabbey economy in the next few two-three years. As a result of this, we are on track to achieve our target to create over 2,000 new jobs by 2025."