PLANS for a new Costa Coffee with a drive-through near a Merthyr Tydfil retail park have been submitted to the council.
Corona Vulcan Merthyr Limited, the owner of Cyfarthfa Retail Park, has submitted a planning application for the development of a coffee shop with drive-through on land to the south of Cyfarthfa Retail Park in Swansea Road, Merthyr Tydfil.
The application site already has planning permission for a coffee shop with drive-through facility granted in May 2019 and renewed in May 2024 but economic circumstances, particularly as a result of Covid-19, affected the applicant’s ability to secure a tenant.
The applicant has now agreed terms with Costa Limited, trading as Costa Coffee, to operate the proposed coffee shop with drive-through facility and the current planning application has been submitted for an amended form of development to meet Costa’s requirements, a planning statement submitted with the application said.
Costa will employ 15 people in the proposed coffee shop in a mix of full time and part time positions.
The planning statement said: “Since obtaining the original permission in May 2019, economic circumstances have changed significantly, particularly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This affected the applicant’s ability to secure a tenant, which is a prerequisite to progressing with the development.
“It is of significant economic benefit that Costa has now been secured as the tenant as approval of the current application will finally deliver the already accepted type of development on this vacant site and will generate 15 job opportunities for local people in a mix of full time and part time positions.”
The planning statement that the revised proposals present a more efficient form of development that requires slightly less land take than the consented scheme.
The statement said that the proposed coffee shop unit is the same size as that already approved which is 167 square metres and the building is sited in broadly the same position as approved but now sits parallel to the south west boundary of the site.
It said that the proposal, which meets Costa’s operational requirements, can finally deliver development on this vacant site that first got planning permission for coffee shop drive-through development over five years ago.
The proposed development has 17 car parking spaces including two spaces for blue badge holders and two spaces with electric vehicle charging facilities as well as four cycle spaces.
