LAKELAND Limited, the award-winning home and kitchenware retailer, says it will create around 100 new full-time jobs over the next five years if plans for a major £5 million redevelopment at its head office in Windermere are approved by Lake District planners.

The scheme has been warmly greeted by economic development chiefs, who hail it as a welcome shot in the arm for the area.

Richard Greenwood, economy and development manager at South Lakeland District Council, said: "It's great to see one of our local indigenous companies expanding.

Although the current level of unemployment in Windermere is fairly small, this development may help to retain some of the financial and customer care skills that are draining out of the area at the moment."

Under the proposals, the Lakeland Limited site next to Windermere Station will undergo a complete transformation, with:

l Warehousing, made redundant following last year's opening of the company's direct despatch centre in Kendal, demolished to make way for a new 1,300 square metre flagship store and cafe - twice as big as the present shop, which attracts 500,000 visitors a year.

l Office floorspace doubling in size to 1,200 sq ms.

The customer services department would move into a former picking and packing area and the buying department would switch to the present shop building.

l The height of the buildings, seen from Thwaites Lane, considerably lowered and featuring a new grass-type roof to soften the impact on the surrounding area.

There would also be 76 extra parking spaces.

The remaining buildings will be reclad to give a lighter, more contemporary appearance.

The family-owned company has spent 16 months working on the project and commissioned retail and traffic studies which both conclude the redevelopment would have little impact on Windermere.

Lakeland Limited marketing director Julian Rayner said the company wanted to keep its headquarters in Windermere, but badly needed extra space because its offices were bursting at the seams.

The company is growing at the rate of 15 per cent a year and even a training room has been converted to create space for customer service staff.

The Windermere site alone employs the equivalent of 210 full-timers and most of the new jobs would be office-based rather than retail.

"We feel it's vital to keep Lakeland Limited as a Windermere-based business, where it began 40 years ago," said Mr Rayner.

Lakeland Limited, which employs a total of 1,100 staff and has 25 stores nationwide, has sent details of the redevelopment to local retailers, parish councillors and Windermere Civic Society.

They have been invited to view a model of the proposed redevelopment, which will be in the foyer of the company's offices until the end of next month.

l SPORTS giant JJB Sports is to open a new superstore on the retail park off Queen Katherine Avenue, Kendal.

The 17,000 square-feet store is planned to open in mid-November and will stock an extensive line of sportswear as well as a bicycle and golf range.

Media Buyer for JJB Sports Sarah Topping said that the company's Finkle Street outlet will be unaffected by the opening of the superstore.