Six hundred jobs are set to be created after upmarket food retailer Waitrose today announced plans for a massive distribution centre in Lancashire.

The £35million centre will be developed on a 30-acre warehouse site near Chorley to provide a platform for the chain’s plans to open stores thoughout the north.

Business leaders said it was fantastic news that so many jobs were being created amid the cuts to the public sector.

The 360,000sq ft warehouse, 50,000sq ft of office space and vehicle maintenance unit at Buckshaw Village will allow Waitrose to service up to 80 branches of its portfolio of shops in the region.

Waitrose wants to take up a 25-year lease on the site, with bosses saying they are here for the long-term.

A planning application will be submitted to Chorley Borough Council on April 6.

Subject to planning consent, the centre will be up and running by Autumn 2012.

The recruitment process for drivers, warehouse workers, office and catering staff is likely to begin in spring 2012.

David Jones, Waitrose’s supply chain director, said: “We’re delighted to be making such a significant investment in Lancashire, creating up to 600 new jobs.

“We’ve made no secret of our plans to take the Waitrose brand to more people in more places and we’re currently still under represented in the north, a key area for our growth ambitions.

“This new regional distribution centre will help unlock significant opportunities for us.”

Waitrose Limited is food division of the worker co-operative John Lewis Partnership.

The chain currently has around 230 branches and a 4.3 per cent share of the market, making it the sixth largest grocery retailer in the UK.

The company has a Royal Warrant to supply groceries, wine and spirits to the Queen.

Waitrose plan to open 25-30 convenience stores and 10 supermarkets across the UK each year.

Its current most northerly regional distribution centre at Bardon in Leicestershire is already operating to capacity.

The nearest confirmed supermarket development is the conversion of the ten-pin bowling alley building at Capitol Centre in Walton-le-Dale, which will employ 200 people when it opens next year.

Hugh Evans, policy director of the North and West Lancashire Chamber of Commerce said attracting such a prestigious retailer to the area was a major coup.

He added: “It’s testament to the area having a skilled workforce, the availability of suitable land and our excellent transport network that Waitrose have decided to invest so significantly in Lancashire.”