THIRTY jobs are to be created with the building of a major new tractor dealership in South Lakeland.

Planning permission was granted by South Lakeland District Council yesterday for a showroom and service centre to be built on land near the M6 motorway.

The centre will specialise in the John Deere range of agricultural machinery and will be sited next to the auction mart at Crooklands, close to junction 36.    

SLDC’s Planning Committee agreed that the chosen site, which is already supporting farmers and the rural economy, was the perfect location for the new tractor dealership.     

Councillors were told the new tractor dealership and agricultural service centre was predicted to have an annual turnover of around £18million.

The business will be run by Cornthwaite Agricultural Ltd, specialists who already hold the franchise for John Deere in Lancashire and Cheshire.             

“As a Council we are committed to delivering opportunities for sustainable economic growth across South Lakeland and this development represents a very exciting opportunity which we have been delighted to support and approve,” said Cllr Graham Vincent, the council's economy portfolio holder.    

Construction work on the new tractor dealership is expected to start in the next few months.