Starbucks drive-thru coffee shop to be built in Blackpool Asda car park

Council planners gave the green light to the plans yesterday despite some objections from neighbours on nearby Wasdale Road and Chapel Road, who argued that the drive-thru would be 'under-used and a waste of resources', as two similar Starbucks and Costa Coffee shops recently opened at Squire's Gate Retail Park in South Shore, and another can be found on Preston New Road.

But a statement submitted on behalf of the EG Group, which operates 142 Starbucks restaurants, said: "(The drive-thru) will be engineered to one storey and comprise a modern design which will comprise a positive enhancement to the site and surrounding area. It is proposed that the unit will operate 24 hours a day.

"The proposed development will result in economic benefits in the form of significant job creation in the form of 20 to 30 full-time employment positions."

They added: "Given the specifics of the use proposed... it is clear that the unit will primarily draw trade from passing motorists. It is unlikely in the extreme that individuals will alter their shopping patterns to show preference for the unit as opposed to existing options within the town centre, which are more reliant on pass-by trade from pedestrians... It is therefore concluded that the proposed development is not of a scale to result in any adverse impact on existing centres."

The creation of the restaurant will result in a reduction of 44 bays in the Asda car park, which developers say will not impact on shoppers due to the 'clear overprovision' of parking spaces on the site.

Another planning application for a drive-thru coffee shop was submitted to Blackpool Council in August. It proposed the demolition of the old Pizza Hut on Cornelian Way, and the building of a new restaurant at what is known locally as 'Fat Man's Corner'.

READ: New drive-thru coffee shop proposed on site of closed down Blackpool Pizza HutBuilding work on the approved Cherry Tree Road drive-thru is expected to begin within the next three years, in accordance with council rules.