A POPULAR bakery is set to expand after planners gave bosses the nod to move into a former clothes shop.
In July, the owner of Stanway-based Blackberry Bakery launched a bid to convert a boutique in London Road, Marks Tey, into a bakery shop.
Colchester Council wrote to bakery boss Anthony Gazda last week to give his proposals the green light.
When is Blackberry Bakery opening in Marks Tey?
Mr Gazda told the Gazette he hopes to open his new branch no later than mid-November.
The baker has been at the helm of the popular Blackberry Road site for 12 years and oversees a 5,000 sq ft bakery based in the Hythe.
His 21-strong workforce supplies freshly baked bread to more than 500 wholesale customers and will produce products for the London Road shop.
“The new shop will be very similar to the shop in Stanway,” he said.
The expansion of the business will create up to four new jobs in Marks Tey.
Baking is a lifelong passion for Mr Gazda, who started baking more than 30 years ago aged 12.
The 43-year-old moved from Poland to the UK in 2004, before settling in Colchester and working as a baker at The Food Company, formerly in London Road, for seven years.
Since taking over Blackberry Bakery the business has grown from strength to strength, shifting its baking operation to Whitehall Industrial Estate to make way for a café area at the Blackberry Road site.
It has remained a popular choice in Stanway despite bakery giant Greggs opening in nearby Peartree Road.
It serves a plethora of baked goodies, from fresh bread to sausage rolls, which will also be available at the Marks Tey site.
Once open, customers will be able to visit the new bakery between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Saturday.
Mr Gazda’s planning application was submitted to Colchester Council after the previous occupier, womenswear boutique Daizy’s Too, announced its closure.
Several customers of nearby sandwich shop Jane’s Pantry, which is just three doors away, wrote to the planning authority to oppose his plans.
Supporters also took the time to write to the council, including Marks Tey Parish Council who expressed no objections.
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