WORK has begun on a new £4.5m furniture store 'coming home' to Stockton.

The new Barker and Stonehouse shop is being built at Teesside Park on the site of a former leisure centre.

The firm, the largest independent retailer in the UK, was founded in Stockton in 1946 but has not been operating in the town in recent years.

It is expected that its stores at Cannon Park in Middlesbrough will close down,

The new premises will be 4.827sq metres, about the size of a football pitch, and building work will be completed by between 60 and 70 local tradesmen. The shop will employ about 40 full-time staff.

Stockton Borough Council chief executive Neil Schneider has visited the building site where the Barker and Stonehouse is being built.

Mr Schneider met Barker and Stonehouse managing director James Barker and chairman Richard Barker and also talked to building project manager Dennis McLuckie of McLuckie Projects, the North Yorkshire-based company carrying out the construction.

Mr Barker said: "We were delighted to show Neil around the site and talk about some of our ambitious plans for the development. We very much appreciate the enthusiasm we have received from the council."

Mr Schneider, said: “The new flagship store will be a great new asset for residents and visitors and will also feature as a modern, attractive landmark on a key gateway into the Borough.

“The team at Barker and Stonehouse has worked closely with our planning and technical services teams from the very onset to ensure things go smoothly. We are looking forward to welcoming such a prestigious company back into Stockton.

“There are some really promising signs of regeneration across the Borough, from major investments at Belasis and Seal Sands to the redevelopment of our town centres, new housing schemes and the exciting developments at Northshore.”

It is expected the shop will open next year.