PLANS have been submitted to change part of a garden centre into a new veterinary practice.

If approved, an area of Dobbies Garden Centre would be converted into a vets operated by CVS.

CVS Group owns and operates over 500 veterinary surgeries throughout the UK, Netherlands and Republic of Ireland.

As well as the proposed change of use, CVS want to add a client and a separate staff entrance along the eastern elevation, where the main entrance to the garden centre also is.

There would also be minor external alterations to the existing windows.

According to a covering letter submitted alongside the application to Northumberland County Council, customers and visitors will have access to the garden centre's existing car park.

The practice would typically operate Monday - Sunday between 8.30am and 7pm. They would also provide 24hour emergency only access with vet on call.

Planning agents Turley said: "Once fully operational, the Veterinary Practice will support a number of full and part time jobs, as well as requiring various local labour inputs during the fit-out works and construction process."

They added: "It will also provide social benefits, in that additional veterinary facilities will be available in the local area."

The proposed practice will have four consulting rooms, one central surgical room, a pharmacy, a laboratory, an X-Ray room, a dog ward, an exotic ward, a feline ward, a dental suite, and a theatre.

There would also be a staff canteen, a changing room, an admin office, two staff toilets, and a customer toilet.

In 2020, Dobbies was given the green light to expand its car park by more than half.