HOUSEHOLD and home furnishing store, The Range, has applied for planning permission to take over the former Skipton Ford site on the town’s Airedale Business Park.

The papers lodged with Craven District Council at the end of January state the premises is expected to employ the equivalent to 85 full time positions and is applying for the change of use of the former car showroom to shop (Class A1) including external alterations and re-cladding of roof, erection of fencing to form ancillary garden centre, insertion of mezzanine floor, sprinkler tanks and pump house. There are also plans to alter the car parking from the current 145 spaces, to 142 spaces.

Opening hours are proposed to be 9am to 8.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

The total gross new internal floor space will be 4,770 metres, including a cafe area covering 212 square metres.

The Range currently has 160 stores in the UK and Ireland and is the trading name of CDS (Superstores International) Ltd.