A former pub is to be turned into a drive-thru Starbucks, after controversial convenience store plans were shelved.
Bolsover District Council granted permission for The Plug and Feathers, on The Hill, Glapwell, to be converted into a convenience store back in February, despite concerns raised by local shop owners that it would harm their businesses.
However when there was insufficient interest in the store, owners Burney Estates Ltd went into talks with the coffee house giant and returned to the council for permission to turn it into a cafe and drive-thru.
Speaking to Bolsover District Council’s Planning Committee on Wednesday, September 28, Daren Burney, of Burney Estates Ltd, said: “The cafe is targeting local customers and dog walkers and will provide a similar number of car park spaces to the convenience store proposal that was approved by you in February this year.
“The drive-thru element also means that around 50 per cent of customers visiting by car do not need to park.
“Starbucks set targets of servicing drive-through customers and whilst average times vary slightly at different parts of the day they expect to serve customers on average within a three to three and a half minutes and expect to turn transactions around quickly.”
A report outlined that around 30 additional vehicles coming to and from the site were anticipated as a result of the application, of which around five would have been passing through the area anyway, which was not considered to be a highway safety concern.
However members pointed out that the property sits on a busy road and during a site visit they had witnessed a bus stopping nearby that caused significant congestion.
Addressing this concern, Mr Burney said: “This new Starbucks doesn’t make the problem worse, whilst we can’t control the bus stop located 100 metres away from the site, Starbucks have robust procedures to manage parking, queuing and deliveries.
“The parking spaces meet the Bolsover district standard of 5m by 2.6m and we feel the extra width is beneficial for customers getting in and out of their cars.”
He argued the facility would provide a ‘convenience space for local people and customers passing through’, adding that an acoustic fence would be installed on the eastern boundary to shield neighbouring properties from any increased noise.
However Councillor Derek Adams commented: “I see people driving up that road thinking they are still on the motorway they’ve been on for the last few hours, and that concerns me deeply.”
Fellow member Councillor Duncan McGregor commented that while he understood Coun Adams’ point he viewed it as a ‘police matter’ and not a planning concern.
All members voted in favour of the application, except Coun Adams, who voted against it.
The project is expected to be completed within four months.
