EAST Lancashire's latest tourist attraction opened amid a flurry of activity at the weekend.
The seven-acre, £4.5m Lancashire Homes and Gardens complex off the A56 at Haslingden was officially unveiled on Saturday.
The project, on the former Syke Mill site at Road End, has created hundreds of new jobs, including the new management team of general manager Tim Morton, assistant general manager Jon Croft, operations manager Phylip Mullan-Reid and plant area manager Paul Rossington.
The 120,000sq ft site is set to be one of the leading attractions of its kind in the UK.
A new roundabout to replace the traffic lights at the crossroads created by the A56 sliproad, Blackburn Road and Haslingden Road has been completed as part of the plans.
A spokesman for Lancashire Homes and Gardens said: "We are aiming to give customers a new experience of homes and garden retailing."
As well as garden ranges, the split-level development will stock giftware, including crystal and jewellery from around the world.
It also has an aquatic area and a 450-seat restaurant as well as a clothing area, soft furnishings, textiles, cookware and lighting department. A product demonstration theatre will allow visitors to see features and benefits of what is new in DIY, homes and gardens.
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