A Drive-Thru Starbucks For Haverfordwest?

Plans for what could be a drive-through Starbucks coffee shop accompanying an electric vehicle charging station at Haverfordwest’s Days Garage, are being recommended for approval next week.

An application – expected to create 20 jobs – by Magic Bean Company Ltd to site an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station and drive through a coffee shop on land adjoining Days Garage, Fishguard Road is recommended for conditional approval when it comes before Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, meeting on May 21st.

A report for planners says: “There are two principal elements to the proposed development. The provision of an EV charging station with eight charging points and a drive through coffee shop, which will provide 20 full time jobs.

“A further 13 parking spaces are provided to serve the development, including two spaces for people with disabilities. The coffee shop will be situated at the western end of the site opposite the proposed EV charging station, which is centrally located within the site. “

It adds: “The coffee shop building will be single storey with a ‘tower’ feature in the west elevation where the customer collection point will be located beneath a timber finished pergola.”

The report says the existing use of the site as ancillary parking for Days garage “is inappropriate for the locality,” adding it is “located within an area that is characterised by large-scale community, commercial and employment uses, albeit all falling outside the defined Settlement Boundary”.

It adds: “Officers acknowledge that the proposed development will constitute a more effective use of the application site than its existing use for car parking and which will provide 20 jobs.”

10 representations from members of the public have raised concerns about the proposal, issues including: no need for additional coffee shops locally, adverse impact on existing small local coffee shops and that the planning authority should not be supporting “multinational businesses,” and littering and highway issues.

Magic Bean Company Ltd, on its website, says: “Established in 2014, The Magic Bean Company opened our first store and became the first licensee to open a Starbucks Drive Thru.

“Since then, we have gone on to become Starbuck’s only national growth partner covering England and Wales, developing our green electric vehicle Starbucks platform.”

It adds: “All Magic Bean stores are designed by Starbucks to the highest standard, taking pride in the quality and finish of all the stores they have developed.”