Ledbury, one of the finest 'black and white' towns in the country, is set to benefit from a new £3.5m Homebase superstore on brownfield land.

The store will be located within a landscaped site on the Ledbury By-pass and will offer 21,000 sq ft of DIY floor space, 10,000 sq ft of garden centre plus parking for 93 cars.

The catchment for this store is approximately 17,000 and the nearest alternative Homebase is in Worcester, over 20 miles away.

The development will boost employment in the area, creating up to 40 new jobs, and Pettifer Estates will also be paying £40,000 towards to cost of coach parking facilities and extra cycle-route provision for Ledbury.

Wrekin Construction has been appointed to start on site with the design and build project in early December and the store is programmed to open on 31 July 2004.