Plans for new Costa in B&Q car park in Newbury approved
PLANS for a drive-thru Costa Coffee in the corner of the B&Q car park on London Road have been given the green light.
West Berkshire Council officers approved the application, submitted by site owner London Road Ltd, on June 24, without it going in front of a planning committee.
The one-storey pod will be built in the north-east corner of the car park, close to London Road.
It will operate as a normal café but with drive-thru facilities, with the drive-thru running along the north side of the café – parallel with London Road.
The design will match other Costas across the UK, with a sloped roof and red brick and timber walls.
It will be the fifth Costa in Newbury, with the other four located in Northbrook Street, Parkway Shopping, Newbury retail park and upstairs in the Tesco in Pinchington Lane.
According to a design and access statement from architects Mountford Pigott, the unit will create up to 15 jobs, and it will contribute to the continued regeneration of the area after plans to build a new Lidl on the site of the former Narrow Boat pub on London Road were approved earlier in December.
The statement says: “The introduction of a popular food/drink drive-thru’ unit to the site contributes to the regeneration of the area by creating an opportunity to provide important jobs to the local community, and bring the overall site into more active use.
“The proposed unit forms a high quality gateway to the eastern section of the retail park, therefore improving the streetscape and softening the visual impact of the large retail units and car parking in the background as seen from London Road and the site entrance.
“Overall, the proposals will encourage sustainability, provide greater choice and competition, deliver important employment opportunities, represent substantial private sector investment, and further enhance the appearance of a prominent gateway site into Newbury.”
The application will see the total number of car parking spaces across the eastern car park reduced from 288 to 278.
However, the same amount of disabled car parking spaces would be retained, while three parent and child spaces would be introduced, which don’t currently exist.
