After many years of local competition, Dobbies Garden Centres and James Cocker & Sons are working together to create a state of the art garden centre in Aberdeen.
The proposal is to locate a new sustainably designed garden centre, which will trade under the Dobbies name, on a ten acre site in north Aberdeen at New Park in Lang Stracht.
The new building concept is highly innovative and would include many highly sustainable ‘green’ features:
- With one third of a buildings total lifespan carbon footprint occurring during its build, the building has been designed to minimise its impact on the environment.
- The building would include the use of natural materials, including the reuse of much of the stone already on the site, together with sustainable timber cladding and a green sedum roof over part of the building, so as to ensure that the building sits comfortably within the surrounding landscape.
- Sustainable timber beams and columns will also be used instead of steel in the building’s structure.
- Developed with an ecologist to ensure the local habitat was protected, landscaping would set the centre within beautiful grounds, including ornamental trees, shrubs, and plants to give seasonal colour.
- Up to 25% of the garden centre’s energy will come from renewable sources, including a ‘grey water’ recycling system, wind turbines, a biomass boiler and wet solar panels.
The new 47,000 sq ft garden centre would offer an extensive indoor and outdoor plant and gardening area, a specialist aquatics department, large restaurant and a children’s play area. The horticultural theme is planned to continue through an indoor gift range including books, cards and stationary, toys and home fragrances, home accessories and perfumed body products and more.
In keeping with both company’s origins as rose growers, the new venture will feature a rose demonstration garden designed by long established award winning rose breeders Cockers.
With the new centre manned by a combination of Dobbies and Cockers existing staff, Cockers will continue their internationally renowned rose business, concentrating on mail order and the rose breeding side of their operation. The new centre would employ in excess of 120 people, approximately 60 more than the original development proposed.
A new generation of garden centre, application will be made in the next few days to Aberdeen City Council based around the fundamental aspects of the recently granted garden centre consent.
Alec Cocker of James Cocker & Sons comments: “We are delighted to announce this new venture that allows the people of Aberdeen and the surrounding area to be provided with the next generation of garden centre, which will not only be an excellent centre of horticulture, but also a wonderful example of an environmentally conscious ‘green’ development.”
Stuart Wright, Director of Property for Dobbies Garden Centres, continues: “We have been keen to develop a new centre in Aberdeen for many years and we are delighted that this new opportunity will draw on the expertise of both renowned horticultural businesses and produce something really special, that we and the people of Aberdeen can be truly proud of. We believe the experience of both expert horticultural retailers combined will allow the project to be even bigger and better than that achievable as individual retailers.”
The existing Dobbies Garden Centre in Aberdeen will remain open until the new facility is open – so local people will not be left without a garden centre facility in their area.
There are a number of exciting initiatives planned for Hazelhead Park and the surrounding area and Dobbies look forward to engaging with local parties and developers to explore these opportunities.
An October 2009 opening is planned for the new garden centre.
