A MAJOR café chain is set to join a new retail park which is due to open in December.

Greggs has been added to the growing list of names queueing up to open at Basildon's new St Hilary Retail Park off Miles Gray Road.

Construction is ongoing after former industrial buildings were flattened at the junction of Miles Gray Road and Luckyn Lane.

Other businesses include a Lidl, Tile Mountain, and LoknStore and retail park for XProp says the project should be completed by December.

Residents and shoppers are pleased with the investment and boost to the town.

Pat Rackley, from Laindon, said: "I think anything that helps bring new and more employment has to be a good thing.

"It is always good to see more investment in our borough and we are seeing retail parks like this doing really well.

"These are big companies and we do like Greggs. We have a few Lidl stores in the borough so this shows the confidence the chain has in Basildon.

"Also the stores are such good value and with the price of living rising we need this just now."

The former Labour councillor also said she thought the site would have been good for new homes, which are in need in the borough.

Information online by XProp says the target completion for the new retail park is December 2022 and also that there is one more unit left on offer to businesses.

It also says a coffee shop will join the other businesses signed up at the new retail park.

Plans also include 157 parking spaces at the site. This will be the fourth Lidl store in the area, joining supermarkets in Pitsea, Laindon and Mayflower Retail Park.

It comes as Aldi has announced a mass expansion in the county, wanting to build nine new stores in south Essex areas such as Basildon and Shoebury.

It will sit opposite the existing Pipps Hill Retail Park, which features supermarket gi-ants Asda, and stores such as B and Q, Argos, and Burger King.

XProp and Rex Land were contacted for comment.