Parking spaces to be used as Ikea collection bays

A small collection office will be built in an area currently used as car parking bays

Dozens of city centre car parking spaces will be converted into collection bays when Ikea opens its new store in Brighton.

The Ingka Group, which owns Ikea, announced last year that it had bought the Churchill Square shopping centre and would be opening an Ikea store in the mall’s former Debenhams unit.

Plans for a click and collect service on the middle floor of the adjacent multi-storey car park have been approved, meaning 64 spaces will be lost to make way for 20 collection bays.

But planning officer Michael Tucker said the loss is “unlikely to compromise the effectiveness of the remaining space”.

Ikea says it is introducing click and collect services at all its stores

Roughly 4% of the car park will be lost. It has 1,560 spaces in total.

Mr Tucker said that the “modest” reduction in car parking spaces aligns with the council’s plans to encourage people to use sustainable transport.

Customers will collect their pre-ordered items from a small reception area next to the loading bays.

Planning permission has also been granted for the replacement of industrial equipment on the roof of the former Debenhams store, which is "outdated and no longer capable of serving modern commercial functions".

Ikea has not yet confirmed when its Brighton store will open, but did say that it will not be this year.