Decision due on new Costa Coffee drive-thru in Powick near Worcester

The coffee chain wants to open a new store next to the Crown Inn pub off Malvern Road in Powick near Worcester.

Councillors will be meeting next week to rule on the plan, with a recommendation from Malvern Hills District Council’s planning department that the new drive-thru be given the green light.

The move by Costa Coffee was met with criticism from many villagers in Powick with some calling it “utter madness.”

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More than 100 objections were registered with the council’s planners ahead of the meeting – with many criticising the extra traffic the drive-thru would generate.

Powick Parish Council said the drive-thru’s design was “totally inappropriate” for the village as well as add to problems on the busy A449, which has seen a number of accidents in recent years including a fatal crash in February, and tailbacks onto nearby Hospital Lane.

“Local knowledge needs to feed into decision-making on this application,” the parish council said.

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“Currently only three or four cars can pass through a lights change from Hospital Lane onto the A449 – this is the only entrance and egress from a community numbering 400 homes, a garden therapy centre and a well-attended sports field.

“If Costa traffic is to be directed one way in and out, the exit would be onto Hospital Lane.

“At busy times of the day, drivers will not be able to exit Costa creating a build-up of vehicles on site and residents will have even greater problems exiting onto the A449.”

SITE: The land off Hospital Lane in Powick where the new Costa Coffee drive-thru could be built (Image: Google Maps)

The highways department at Worcestershire County Council raised no concerns.

A report outlining the council’s recommendation said: “It is considered that, whilst the proposal is to be of a modern aesthetic, the proposal would not appear out of character within the surrounding area which consists of an existing car dealership, which is of a modern glass and metal clad construction, several recent housing developments and the adjacent Crown Inn pub has also undergone significant alterations over time giving it a more modern aesthetic.

“Whilst the concerns of the local community are noted, it is considered that this location would be a suitable location for this type of development with it being located adjacent to the main road between Malvern and Worcester where this type of development is commonly found.”

The planning committee meets from 6pm in Malvern on September 6.