New discount store could create jobs in Devon

T J Morris Ltd (TJM) wants to open a Home Bargains store in a unit off Rose Lane

The owners of a chain of discount stores have applied to take over a site in Devon, potentially creating 100 new jobs.

T J Morris Ltd (TJM) wants to open a Home Bargains store in a unit off Rose Lane in Barnstaple, currently occupied by Homebase, which has a lease ending in 2025.

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 invest £2m refurbishing the premises while retaining and creating employment with 100 jobs.

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, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This includes home furnishings, household products and toys and games.

'Increase biodiversity'

The plan is to remove the internal mezzanine floor and external lobby, reducing floorspace by about a third.

The car parking will be reconfigured with the loss of 39 spaces and three trees.

Ten bays will be provided for people with disabilities and 10 for bikes and new electric vehicle charging points will be installed.

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

Home Bargains currently has more than 600 stores and plans to more than double them and employ more than 40,000 staff with similar projects across the UK.

Members of the public have until Wednesday 18 September to comment on the proposals.