Plans approved for a new SPAR convenience store and service station

Preston based James Hall and Co has had plans approved for a new service station and SPAR convenience store in Bentham.

The plans submitted by S&L Planning Consultants will see the former Huw & Grays Builders Merchant site transformed to provide a high-quality retail and fuelling facility.

Established in 1863, James Hall and Co is a founding member of SPAR in the UK, when the brand moved into the UK from the Netherlands in 1956.

The company has grown to become the primary SPAR retailer, wholesaler and distributor for northern England.

The new store and filling station will see up to 30 jobs created for the local community through a mix of full-time and part-time roles, and now that planning has been approved, construction work on the project is due to start later this year.

Andrew Bangs, property and development director at James Hall and Co, said: “We have long held an ambition to improve our offer for rural communities in and around Bentham, both in terms of the range of products in our SPAR store and the services alongside that including fuel.

“The project also supports SPAR’s local community philosophy of having value on your doorstep, nurturing our neighbourhoods, and a focus on local sourcing where possible.”

Deborah Smith, of S&L Planning Consultants, added: “Projects of this nature are hugely important for rural communities and will also see a vacant site be transformed into a vital asset.”