Thumbs up for Tim Hortons on old Pizza Hut site at Newbury Retail Park

Plans for the old Pizza Hut unit on Newbury Retail Park have been approved by West Berkshire Council.

It will be turned into a Tim Hortons restaurant chain, with – says the application – a coffee and bakehouse offer.

It will be on land just off Pinchington Lane and has a drive-thru lane and outside seating planned.

But not everyone is happy.

One objector wrote in against the proposal, saying it will cause more traffic problems along Pinchington Lane.

"It is bad enough with traffic trying to get in and out of the Newbury Retail Park, and also those going into MacDonalds [sic]," wrote John Brodie.

"The area where Pizza Hut was should be knocked down and widen the area for traffic to get out.

"It was a bad mistake to allow MacDonalds to move where it is."

The application approved a change of use, to allow for takeaways, but includes plans to upgrade the current building.

Tim Hortons is a relatively new entrant to the UK market and can best be described as a restaurant chain with a coffee and bakehouse offer.

The brand was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

It has since grown with more than 4,500 stores from coast to coast. Known affectionately as ‘Timmy’s’, it is a place famous for its fresh coffee and baked goods.

Tim Hortons opened its first store in the UK in 2017 and now has 56 units here, with more opening soon.

Its current focus is to expand its drive-thru model across the UK, including at the Newbury site.

The Tim Hortons offer is different from that provided by the likes of McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King and is comparable to that provided by coffee shop operators such as Costa or Starbucks.

The hot food offer includes paninis and ‘melts’ as well as hot sandwiches and wraps.