New drive thru unit, likely to be a coffee shop, gets planning consent for retail park site in Blyth

Northumberland County Council officers gave the go-ahead to the proposal, which will see a 167sq m facility built at Blyth Valley Retail Park in Blyth.

There is not yet a confirmed tenant, but it is envisaged to be a coffee shop that takes the unit on.

Officers decided that the unit “would contribute to the range and choices of local services” and “would not constitute overdevelopment of the area.”

Access to the drive thru will be via existing retail park roads. Although 27 parking spaces would be provided at the site, the proposal will result in a net loss of 32 spaces from the wider retail park.

The applicant’s planning statement said: “The site, being an underutilised area of car parking and previously developed land located within the settlement boundary of Blyth, is considered a sustainable and appropriate location for development.”