THE owners of a popular children's soft play area have announced it will close its doors next month. 

Crooklands Garden Centre posted on their Facebook page today stating that the Planet Play area of the business would be closing with the last day on Tuesday, May 3.

As part of the £1m investment, the furniture department will increase in size tenfold and the whole store will undergo a stunning redesign that will make it the largest home and garden centre in the area. 

Owner Marc Charnley said: “My dad started the business 25 years ago growing and selling plants wholesale and over the years the business has grown and developed with the support of all our customers. 

"We feel that the time is right to rationalise the business and get back to our roots so we’ve made the difficult decision to close Planet Play centre. I know this will disappoint many including my two and-a-half year old daughter Bella, but sadly it is no longer economically viable.”

The Play Centre will close Mid May with the new furniture department scheduled to open in July. The building work will continue throughout the summer and the centre will close for the whole of September with the big reveal and launch anticipated for October this year.

“We are very excited to embark on this next phase of growth and we are confident our customers will enjoy the new improvements. Our loyal customers value our commitment to going the extra mile so we hope they will carrying on shopping with us as we undergo this transformation.”