Teeside-based dealer RMB Automotive is planning to open two new Toyota and Lexus dealerships at Bowesfield Farm, a brand new mixed-use development on the banks of the River Tees in Stockton.

Bowesfield provides 27 acres of commercial and retail development, five acres of leisure development and 10 acres of residential. Detailed permission has already been granted for 74 residential units to Wimpey and two office buildings to Rokeby.

Plans have now been approved by Stockton Council and building work for the new site, which will cost around £4m, is expected to commence early in the new year, with an anticipated opening time of autumn 2006. The two showrooms will be separate, even down to the workshop and aftersales departments.

“The new site has got good road links and offers the right environment for retail car purchases,” says Robert Bennett, managing director of RMB Automotive. He says the move will also offer a more prestigious location, particularly for Lexus customers.

“We also needed more modern premises to cope with anticipated growth in sales over the coming year,” he adds.

The move follows the recent opening of a £2m Toyota showroom in Northallerton, which features a six-car showroom, seven-bay workshop and space to display more than 80 used vehicles. RMB Automotive’s existing site at High Leven in Teeside will be converted into a specialist used car centre.

The Bowesfield Farm site is being developed by The Banks Group, and work is ongoing at the site, which adjoins a 37-acre nature reserve.