Drive-thru Starbucks plans for former Glapwell pub approved

Bolsover 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, owner Burney Estates went into talks with the coffee house giant and returned to the council for permission to turn it into a café and drive-thru.

Daren Burney, of Burney Estates, told a council planning committee meeting discussing the latest application: “The café is targeting local customers and dog walkers and will provide a similar number of car park spaces to the convenience store proposal approved by you in February.

“The drive-thru element also means about 50 per cent of customers visiting by car do not need to park.

“Starbucks set targets of servicing drive-through customers and while 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 about 30 additional vehicles coming to and from the site were anticipated as a result of the application, of which about five would have been passing through the area anyway, which was not considered to be a highway safety concern.

However, members pointed out the property sits on a busy road and during a site visit they had witnessed a bus stopping nearby which caused significant congestion.

Addressing this concern, Mr Burney said: “This new Starbucks doesn’t make the problem worse. While 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 an acoustic fence would be installed on the eastern boundary to shield neighbouring properties from any increased noise.

Councillors approved the application.

The project is expected to be completed within four months.