Burton Latimer garden centre excited for next chapter as relocation plan unveiled

The boss of a Burton Latimer garden centre says he's excited for the future after unveiling plans to move down the A6 to Irthlingborough.

The popular Bosworth's Garden Centre has been at their Finedon Road base for decades, attracting visitors from all over the north of the county.

But, surrounded by housing, the family firm doesn't have the space to grow their business further and want to move to a brand new site just over three miles away.

They say the new garden centre would allow them to offer an improved visitor experience, with a terrace cafe featuring in the plan.

Joint owner Sam Bosworth said: "It's a really exciting time for us, our customers and staff.

"Garden centres have worked really hard in the pandemic to provide products that enable people to get into their garden.

"I think that's given us the confidence to carry on when a lot of people may have gone in the opposite direction."

The new 10-acre site is just off the A6, about halfway between the NANNA animal rescue centre and the Addington Road junction.

If approved it would have a garden centre, cafe with a raised external terrace, garden display area and nursery space for more plants to be grown using polytunnels.

Bosworth's Garden Centre will be based in Burton Latimer for a considerable time yet, with plans only recently submitted to North Northamptonshire Council.

They won't be able to shut up shop in Burton Latimer until they're ready to open in Irthlingborough, potentially in the spring of 2024, a move which is set to create between 20 and 30 new jobs.

Once the Irthlingborough site is open the existing garden centre site would be developed as housing with up to 69 homes. Planning permission has been in place for that since 2015.

It's not the first time the Bosworth family have looked at moving. The Burton Latimer site was originally discussed as becoming housing about 20 to 25 years ago and Sam's parents had planning permission to relocate the nursery to Hilltop Road, Little Harrowden.

Deals to sell the existing site fell through but about 10 years ago it became apparent they were rapidly outgrowing their Finedon Road home. Sam said they have looked at multiple places for a potential new home since and that it was 'painful' until they found the Irthlingborough site in late 2019.

He said: "It's a huge shame to leave Burton Latimer and with all the community stuff we have done it's going to be a massive wrench to leave.

"But at the end of the day the business has to carry on and it's difficult where we are."

Plans show the new Bosworth's centre would have numerous sustainable features including the reuse of rainwater, underfloor heating to provide a renewable source of heating for the building and a wildlife corridor which will encourage biodiversity.

It would have 266 parking spaces and be accessed off the A6 with a new junction arrangement and widened road.

Sam added: "It's another chapter in the business and we are really looking forward to taking it on."