The owner of a Dundee coffee shop chain is appealing to Holyrood in a bid to push ahead with plans for a new drive-thru.
Henry’s Coffee House, which has two city centre shops, had lodged plans with Dundee City Council for the new takeaway on East Dock Street – close to the site of the proposed Eden Project.
But the firm was refused permission in November after Dundee City Council’s planning committee concluded the project did not meet the requirements of its local development plan.
The drive-thru plans were rejected, in part, because the application failed to show it would not have a “significant adverse effect on the city centre”.
However, Henry’s Coffee House has now appealed the case to the Scottish Government in a bid to have permission granted.
Canadian chain Tim Hortons pursued a similar route after twice having its plans for a drive-thru just off the Kingsway rejected.
It eventually won planning approval after a Holyrood reporter considered that “the economic benefit, regeneration of the site and the provision of local facilities, justified a departure from the development plan”.
That outlet finally opened in December.
Why is Henry’s Coffee Shop appealing?
In a statement lodged as part of the appeal documents, Henry’s Coffee House – owned by Jonathan Horne – claims the reasons for refusal set out by Dundee City Council are “not justified”.
The statement said: “The drive-thru nature of the proposed development means that it would not be a suitable use for an existing centre.
“There are no sequentially preferable sites available for a drive-thru coffee shop within a 10-minute drive time of the application site and, as such, the proposed development will have no negative impact on any existing centre.”
A further reason for the application’s refusal was that the proposed development failed to “prioritise and encourage sustainable and active travel choices”.
But Henry’s refutes this, saying: “The committee report states that ‘it is not unreasonable to assume that the proposed development would primarily capture custom from… the adjacent Dock Street trunk road’.
“The drive-thru would not be a destination in itself and would not… generate additional vehicular movements.
“The transport statement submitted with the application sets out how the proposed development can be accessed by staff by sustainable and active modes of transport.”
What happens next?
Dundee City Council has been given until January 13 to submit its response to the appeal.
Once that has been received, a reporter appointed by Scottish ministers will consider the case and make a decision on whether to approve or reject the plans, expected by mid-March.
New analysis shows that Dundee planning decisions have been overturned by government officials more than any other local authority area in mainland Scotland.
The Henry’s Coffee Shop at City Square is still closed after a fire in September.
It has a second outlet on Seagate.
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