PLANS for a new drive-through coffee shop near the village of Llandarcy have been rejected by Neath Port Talbot Council.
While it is not named in the planning application, documents given to the local authority suggest the site could have been run by popular coffee chain Starbucks.
If approved, the plans would have seen the construction of a single-storey coffee shop with drive-through facility, parking and servicing along with a 16-bay electric vehicle charging station together with access and landscaping on land adjacent to the B4290.
The site is located approximately 300m south west of junction 43 of the M4, and was formally part of the BP sports and social club, housing the club’s tennis courts. It is also near to the Coed Darcy village development which currently has an allocation for 4,000 new homes.
However, in a list of delegated decisions made by council officers earlier this year it said the latest coffee shop plans had been refused as they did not accord with “strategic national and local planning policies.”
A part of the decision notice read: “It is considered that the proposed development, by virtue of its access, visibility, layout and poor provision for non-car modes of transport, would have an unacceptable impact on highway and pedestrian safety to the detriment of users of the proposed development and the wider highway network.”
The application was first submitted to the authority in 2023, though it was withdrawn at the request of Neath Port Talbot Council after highway comments from the Welsh Government, who requested further information about the impact to nearby roads.
It was then handed in for a second time in 2024 before its eventual refusal, however it was also noted that the applicant will still be able to appeal the decision to the Welsh Government.
