Ikea is planning to turn parts of a city centre car park into a click-and-collect facility.

The furniture company Ingka Group (Ikea UK), who bought Churchill Square Shopping Centre in Brighton last year, are set to open in the former Debenhams unit on the upper two levels.

As part of these plans, Ikea wants to use the centre’s existing middle car park level as a click-and-collect service.

SRA Architects Ltd, on behalf of Ikea, said this will offer a "convenient option for collecting goods purchased online without the need to enter the Ikea store".

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Ikea also said this service will allow the furniture giant to "diversify its range of services to meet the changing needs of its customers" and offer them "greater flexibility in their shopping experience".

In the plans, submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council by Quod on behalf of Ingka Group, it is proposed that there would be a back of house order preparation and storage area where staff members can prepare orders.

There will be 20 parking bays and three loading bays (Image: SRA Architects Ltd)

This will be connected to a small customer-facing reception on this car park level.

Customers who have placed an order and paid online will then collect the order from the customer service point without having to go into the shop.

They will be given a day and time frame to make sure the order is ready when they arrive.

Ikea said having a facility like this will bring more jobs to the area and will make the shopping experience easier for customers who want to shop online.

If approved, there will be 20 car parking spaces for this facility and three loading bays closer to the collection point for people to use who are collecting heavier goods.

Trolleys will also be available on this floor to help people transport the goods to their cars more easily.

There would be an overall reduction of 66 car parking spaces in total as a result of these proposed changes to the multi-storey car park.

The plans also propose for an extended unloading platform for staff to use to help move bigger items more easily.

Customers can pick up their orders without entering the shop (Image: SRA Architects Ltd)

SRA Architects Ltd on behalf of Ikea said: "Ikea is committed to providing the best possible service for its customers, through constant review and iteration of its offerings in response to changing market trends and shopping habits.

"As part of that service and ongoing commitment to the south-east, Ikea is proposing a dedicated click and collect facility within the Churchill Square Shopping Centre.

"The facility will further enhance the retailer’s offering on the site, which will complement the small-format Ikea Store on the upper floors."

As well as this new facility, Ikea said they want to replace the existing outdated equipment plant on the car park roof with new and more efficient equipment to meet Ikea’s requirements for the store operations.

Brighton and Hove City Council is set to decide on whether to approve the plans by August 13.

No opening date for the new Ikea store has been confirmed.