Leisure extension at Barton Grange approved

A £6m leisure development set to include a curling rink and cinema at Barton Grange garden centre near Preston has been granted planning permission by Wyre Council.

As well as the curling rink, the designs by architecture and design practice Etc Urban show a cinema, tenpin bowling, a diner-style restaurant, fish and chip restaurant and an ice cream bar and coffee shop.

The 60,000 sq ft scheme, called the Flower Bowl, will also include a shop where people can buy and hire kayaks to use on the nearby Lancaster Canal.

The facilities will be housed in a single-story building with an eco-friendly grass roof.

Work on site is expected to begin later this year, with the development opening to the public in 2017.

Barton Grange is a family-run business, with a site that includes a hotel, the Barton Grange Garden Centre, a landscaping business, three large plant nurseries and a marina on the Lancaster Canal.

Philip Thornton, architectural director at Etc Urban, said: “This is a project that will bring exciting new entertainment and leisure facilities to the area as well as creating much-needed new jobs. The design brief is for quality premium facilities for visitors to enjoy, including the curling rink, which will introduce the sport to a whole new audience in the north of England.

“Barton Grange is committed to a curling centre of excellence based in Lancashire, which may even uncover some future British Olympians.”