Drive-thru Costa plans for Plas Coch Retail Park carpark

Plans to develop Wrexham’s first drive-thru coffee shop have been put forward.

In an application submitted to Wrexham Council it has been proposed that the drive-thru Costa Coffee is built on the Plas Coch Retail Park.

If the application is approved it would be the fourth Costa Coffee to open in Wrexham, with existing branches on Island Green and in the Odeon and Debenhams on Eagles Meadow.

Currently the land, which is located at the front of DW Sports and Frankie & Benny’s, is used as car parking space for the retail park.

However as part of the proposals for the site a section of the car park would be used for the drive-thru coffee shop – which would also include external seating areas.

This would result in the loss of 24 parking spaces – however the existing ‘vehicular and pedestrian access’ to Plas Coch Retail park will be retained.

The proposed floorspace of the development is 167 sq.m, with the applicants stating that the “design of the proposed restaurant and coffee shop is modern and complements the existing development”. Timings submitted in the application also indicate that the coffee shop would be open 24 hours a day.

A total of 20 jobs would be created for the area if the application is given the go ahead.

The application states that a pre-application enquiry submission was made to Wrexham Council in 2017, with the following feedback received: “The only concerns I have in relation to the proposed coffee shop and drive thru are in relation to highway safety. I have attached the consultation response from the highway authority which raises the concerns and within which some additional information is requested”.

However the applicants say that “the above feedback does not raise any land use or planning issues with the proposed development, which is consistent with the conclusions of this planning statement.”

It is noted that the response from the council’s highways department has also been reviewed and addressed.

Details provided within the application’s’ transport statement notes that it’s expected “that the proposed development’s customer activity would be more evenly spread throughout the day, and less ‘peaky'”.

It adds: “Being located in an established Retail Park, the majority of customers to the proposed unit will be shoppers already visiting the wider Retail Park (i.e. linked trips).

“These customers will not result in an increase in trips to the Retail Park; rather, their length of stay at the Retail Park will experience a slight increase.

“Therefore, other than a few vehicle trips associated with Costa Coffee employees, the number of ‘new’ trips generated as a consequence of the proposed development is expected to be negligible.”

Comments are also made about the town centre and the impact such a development could have, with the application stating that: “The proposed development is not considered to represent one that would draw significant footfall from the town centre, particularly in this instance as the proposed occupier has an established presence in Wrexham town centre.”

The planning statement concludes: “Taking all these matters into account it is our opinion that the proposed development is consistent with the UDP for the following reasons:

– The application promotes a use appropriate within the wider mixed retail/commercial area;
– The proposal complements the function of the established Plas Coch Retail Park;
– The proposal complies with relevant policies in the adopted Wrexham Unitary Development plan;
– All detailed matters have been addressed in supporting information to show that the proposed development can be accommodated at this location.

“On the basis of the above, the proposed development should be viewed favourably and granted planning permission.”

It is expected that application will be considered for approval at a later date.