New £14m garden centre and adventure play area comes to Leeds
A huge new garden centre is taking over a former golf course in South Leeds after council bosses green-lit a planning application earlier this month.
The company behind Tong Garden Centre can now push ahead with plans to build the facility and soft play area on what was formerly the Acanthus Golf Club off Thorpe Lane in Tingley.
The huge new £14 million development will include a 400-seater restaurant, a 1000m2 plant space, ‘Grass Hoppers’ indoor and outdoor play areas, and a 400m2 food hall alongside a large garden centre.
The old golf centre building will become the hub for an exciting new adventure play area set over five acres for 8 to 14-year-olds.
If it’s anything like the existing Tong’s site, there’ll be plenty for kids to do here. Think giant outdoor inflatable pillows, a wooden adventure area with zip wire, monkey bars and rope ladders, coin-operated race cars, and even a giant sandpit.
Dining options at the original Tong’s are also diverse, including carvery sandwiches, full English breakfasts, traditional fish and chips and chef’s homemade pies.
The new garden centre itself is expected to have a range of home, garden and lifestyle products up for sale.
MD, Mark Farnsworth said: “Despite the challenges of having to close temporarily, the garden trade sector has proved resilient to the challenges that Covid-19 has presented, which gives us confidence for the future.
“We have made no secret of our ambitions to be a multi-site operation. We have been working on the Tingley opportunity for over two years, so we feel confident that we can deliver a fabulous experience for our visitors.
“We have learnt many valuable lessons in the five years that we have been growing Tong and we think that Tingley Garden Centre and Adventure Playground will be a great addition to the community in South Leeds.”
It is hoped that the new development will create as many as 200 new jobs in the area.