The landmark Dobbies and Tesco shared store is now a certainty, after councillors in King's Lynn gave permission for the £8m development at a former Campbell's factory site on Hardwick Road.
It will be the first time the two chains trade from the same building, which will feature a joint entrance via a Dobbies restaurant at the front of the store.

The green light from the council came following positive feedback from locals and committees in the area. Construction is due to begin in spring 2013, and the doors of the joint entrance are expected to open in autumn 2013.

Dobbies King's Lynn will house more than 10,000 plants, trees and shrubs, a specialist aquatics department and will create 120 new jobs. It will also feature a farm foodhall offering local-grown Norfolk produce.

Developers are also pulling out all the green stops, with plans underway to construct the centre from sustainably-sourced timber and other natural construction materials. Renewable energy systems will be put in place, and the site will recycle all rain and grey water.

Dobbies' director of property Stuart Wright said: "We're delighted to be a step closer to opening our first joint development with Tesco and giving our customers a new experience that enhances the strengths of both brands."

"We want to thank Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk for their enthusiasm for economic development in the region and for their continued support in backing our planning application which will allow us to bring a new-generation of garden centre to customers in the King's Lynn area."

Tesco's Louise Gosling said: "We're absolutely delighted that Dobbies has been given the green light to build. This will be a great benefit to Kings Lynn providing even more jobs and services to local people. It also means we can now crack on with the construction of our first joint development and look forward to sharing the benefits of both businesses with our customers."

The Dobbies job opportunities will be supported by formal in-house training programmes, so that 50% of staff will have specific horticultural knowledge and expertise.