Welshpool Costa Coffee drive-thru decision next week

By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

Eleven jobs will be created if permission for a new Costa Coffee drive-through on the outskirts of Welshpool is given next week.

Delves and Co. want to build on land opposite the McDonald’s at Rhallt View and Tan yr Allt View, off the A483 roundabout, and have submitted their application to next Thursday’s Powys Planning Committee.

The principle for development was established when a previous outline planning application for the site was agreed by the committee back in February 2020. A building at the site is set to be demolished with another one to be used for storage.

Welshpool Town Council has “strongly” objected to the proposal and it has been “called in” for a decision by committee by the former Powys county councillor for the area, Francesca Jump, who stood down as a councillor at the last election in May 2022.

Cllr Jump had said: “I am very concerned about the access to this development and the subsequent increase in traffic flow on an already congested roundabout.”

Senior planning officer Richard Edwards said: “The proposal relates to a Costa drive-through through with the building being of a typical single storey design seen across the country for this brand.”

He explained that “extensive consultation” had taken place between the council as planning authority, the Welsh Government Highways Department, and the developers to overcome a “holding direction” issued by the government on highway safety grounds.

Mr Edwards said: “Through the course of amended details and comments, Welsh Government Trunk Road have now removed their holding direction subject to conditions in respect of access and visibility being attached to any granting of planning permission.”

The Welsh Government said that conditions were needed to “maintain the safety and free flow of trunk road traffic”.

Due to this, Mr Edwards recommends approving the application with conditions that safety measures to maximise visibility for vehicles emerging from the drive-through exit and onto the main road are implemented as part of the work.