What Is Happening at the Thorp Arch Retail Park Near Tadcaster?

For years now, anyone passing the Thorp Arch Retail Park will have noticed the same thing: silence. Ever since DFS moved out in 2019, the entire retail park has stood almost completely empty. Bare units, an unused car park, and a once-busy corner of the Thorp Arch estate left in limbo.

But after six long years, that forgotten patch of land is finally showing signs of life again. A major new garden centre development is now firmly on the horizon, one that could completely transform the area and give the retail park a brand-new purpose.

It also raises a big question: what happens to the Great British Diner, the one business that has stayed open throughout the retail park’s years of decline?

A quiet retail park could soon spring back to life

For a long time, the retail park has been an unusual sight, a row of empty units with just one business keeping the lights on. The Great British Diner, run by Tim Wharton, has been the lone survivor, serving breakfast rolls, coffee, and hot meals to locals and workers from the surrounding industrial estate.

Everything else? Empty.

The retail park sits on part of the wider Thorp Arch estate, a site with deep historic roots as a former WWII munitions factory. For years, site owners have hoped to attract a major business that could breathe energy, and customers, back into the area.

Now, according to reporting by business editor Darren Greenwood, that moment has finally arrived. Plans are being drawn up for a huge garden centre development, one that could anchor the entire retail park and reignite footfall.

What happened to the original Tong Garden Centre plan?

This isn’t the first time there’s been excitement about a new garden centre.

Back in 2022, hopes were high when Tong Garden Centre, a beloved Yorkshire brand, expressed interest in building a new site at Thorp Arch. The proposal looked promising, but the planning process quickly became a problem.

A planning application is supposed to take around 13 weeks. Tong’s application dragged on for 13 months.

By the time a decision was close, their plans had shifted.

As Tim Munns, director of the company managing the estate, explained:

“Things had changed for them in that 13 months. So, they are no longer able to proceed at that point.”

A major opportunity slipped away, and the retail park remained empty, until now.

A new (and very large) garden centre is now in the works

The Tong setback hasn’t stopped the estate’s ambitions. A new, unnamed retailer has now stepped in, and this time the project looks even bigger.

How big?

According to Munns, the company behind the proposal is:

“Probably the biggest, big box garden centre in the UK, with over 50 stores.”

That description points to a major national brand, though the name remains a closely guarded secret.

The development timeline so far

• April 2025: Planning pre-application submitted
• June 2025: Leeds City Council issues feedback
• Q2 2026: Target for full planning approval
• 2026–2027: Construction period
• Christmas 2027: Proposed grand opening

If the schedule holds, visitors could be browsing Christmas trees, gifts, plants, and homeware inside a huge new retail destination within two years.

This development would bring jobs, footfall, and a major commercial attraction to the Thorp Arch estate, finally filling the void left by DFS.

What happens to the Great British Diner?

With the garden centre planned for the same footprint the diner currently occupies, relocation is on the cards.

Owner Tim Wharton has kept the diner alive through six quiet years, building a loyal customer base despite being the only business open on the retail park. The prospect of thousands of new visitors is understandably appealing, but it may also mean moving.

Discussions are already underway about potentially relocating the diner to Queen Mary’s House, another building on the estate.

Wharton appears more optimistic than worried:

“Would I welcome moving? Yes I would. Would I like to stay? I’m sure I could live with them.”

“To give me a part of that would be fabulous.”

For now, nothing is confirmed. The diner remains open where it is. But a move seems likely as plans take shape.

And if the garden centre delivers the crowds expected, the Great British Diner might just find itself busier than ever.

A long-awaited revival for Thorp Arch

After years of stagnation, the Thorp Arch retail park is finally on the cusp of a major transformation. A national garden centre brand with dozens of stores, a revamped retail destination, more footfall, and potentially a new home for the diner that kept the flame burning through quiet years.

If all goes to plan, Christmas 2027 could mark the beginning of a new era for the site, one where the car parks are full, the units are open, and the retail park once again becomes a lively part of the Thorp Arch estate.

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