Alliance Boots has won approval for plans to develop land at its Nottingham premises to create new labs as well as homes and offices.

Proposals for the Nottingham Enterprise Zone were approved yesterday and a tender process for contractors is expected to start soon, The Nottingham Post reported.

Ken Murphy, Alliance Boots managing director, health and beauty brands and international, told the newspaper: “These plans, as part of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone, reiterate our long-term ambition to invest in sustained economic growth and job creation in Nottingham and further contribute to this city and the UK’s leading reputation in the life sciences industry.

“This affirms the next step and most exciting phase of progress on the Nottingham Enterprise Zone that we have seen yet, as we continue on our journey to creating a health, beauty and wellbeing hub development.”

Jon Collins, leader of Nottingham City Council, told the paper: “The Nottingham Growth Plan has been able to support business growth in areas where Nottingham has a real advantage, including life sciences, and the enterprise zone will be a major delivery mechanism for this.

“The longstanding historical associations Boots has with the city are entering a new era and the advantages our enterprise zone can confer by opening up more of the site to businesses in the sector are unique.”