Ikea is set to open a new £100m store in Charlton after Greenwich Council granted the Swedish retail giant planning permission.

Construction on the new store at the Millennium Way Retail Park on Bugsby’s Way is set to start in autumn this year and the will open in late 2018.

Ikea says 500 new jobs, both full and part time, will be available at the store, including sales, customer relations, interior design and food services.

The 33,000 square metre store will include a rooftop pavilion with a community area, a restaurant, crèche, and obviously rows upon rows of furniture and showrooms.

Hege Saebjornsen, sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “Ikea is dedicated to having a positive impact on the environment and the lives we touch, and the Greenwich store will be the company’s most sustainable store to date.

“It will include environmental features such as rainwater harvesting, PV solar panels and will meet a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ Certification Rating”.

“All Ikea stores generate electricity from PV panels on the roof and aim to be as sustainable as possible. Every new store that is built aims to achieve a BREEAM Very Good certification.

“However, more importantly we have designed a store in Greenwich with customer and community in mind, a place where people can meet, learn, shop and share.”

Gillian Drakeford, country manager for Ikea UK said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Royal Borough of Greenwich has supported our decision to open a new IKEA store.

“It recognises the significant contribution IKEA will bring to the local economy and jobs market in Greenwich and the surrounding areas.

“It also emphasises the commitment of Ikea to the UK with our continuing expansion plans, this is excellent news and we are very much looking forward to being a good neighbour in Greenwich.”

Tim Farlam, real estate manager for Ikea UK, said: “Throughout this process we have held regular discussions with the local community and we have considered the various comments raised by residents to ensure that the final store design met the needs of both Ikea and the surrounding community.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the people of Greenwich to develop our store.”