Where to park your man at the shops

EARLS Court's loss is Dartford's gain as Land Rover plans to invest nearly 500,000 originally earmarked for the now aborted London Motor Show in the first of what may become a network of offroad demonstration sites around the country. In the process the firm will create the world's first "male crche" where women leave their men while they shop.

The Ford-owned company has submitted a planning application to Dartford council to develop an activity centre at a chalk quarry next to the Bluewater shopping centre, which last year attracted 26 million visitors.

Land Rover intends to have a "motoring showcase", featuring three vehicles inside the shopping mall where potential customers could chat to sales staff before crossing a pedestrian bridge to the demonstration area.

UK marketing director Colin Green says customers will not be able to drive vehicles but will, for a fee of around 30, receive two hours' expert off-road guidance from Land Rover personnel at the wheel.

"We believe that the money we are spending on a project lasting three years or more will provide us with a much better return than one lasting two weeks," said Green, in a reference to the ill-fated London Motor Show.

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