More jobs proposed for North Devon

Public opinions sought on store takeover

A discount store proposing to take over a site in Barnstaple currently occupied by Homebase is expected to create new jobs to the town.

T J Morris Ltd (TJM) wants to open a Home Bargains store in the unit off Rose Lane and says it will be investing £2 million refurbishing and fitting out the premises.

The company has asked North Devon Council for planning permission to adapt the building so it can sell a wider range of goods.

It says it will retain and create employment with 100 full and part time jobs.

Homebase’s lease expires in 2025. A proposed takeover by DIY and homeware business The Range in 2018 never came to fruition.

Home Bargains intends to use about a third of the store to sell food and drink, with the rest of the space for its main range of health and beauty products, medicines, baby products, household products, toys and games, pet food, home furnishings and ornaments and seasonal products.

The plan is to remove the internal mezzanine floor and external lobby, reducing floorspace by around a third to 3,731 square metres.

The car parking will be reconfigured with the loss of 39 spaces and three trees. Ten bays will be provided for people with disabilities, 10 for bikes and new electric vehicle charging points installed.

Landscaping will include native species to encourage bats. The company will have to increase biodiversity by 10 per cent.

Home Bargains currently has more than 600 stores, and plans to more than double them and employ more than 40,000 staff.

The public has until Wednesday 18 September to comment on the proposals.