A garden centre will reopen under new ownership and undergo “significant” improvements.

There were fears Findon Garden Centre, Findon, Worthing, would be turned into flats after it officially stopped trading on September 15.

But the centre has been bought by family run Your Local Garden Centre, which operates three other centres including a new store at Alver Valley in Gosport and another store in Stansted Park, near Chichester.

The business will be renamed Findon Vale and a spokesman from the company said it will partially re-open with the centre’s coffee shop “as soon as possible”.

In a statement on Facebook the company said: “The priority on recruitment will be to previous employees. Improvements to the centre will be significant and, subject to planning, take over a year to complete and guarantee high-quality employment and a wonderful facility for the community.

“Development will be sympathetic and in keeping with the horticultural heritage of the site at the same time as including state-of-the-art sustainability features with the aim of creating a carbon-neutral business.

“The aim is for Findon Vale to become a place of well-being within the community offering great attention to detail and retail quality as well as a warm welcome.

“We look forward to welcoming you soon.”