A new Starbucks drive-thru opens

A new Starbucks drive-thru on the edge of a major housing estate in Leicestershire has been approved. Dozens of jobs are expected to be created in the move.

Clowes Developments’ application came last year and was part of efforts to add to the wider Stud Brook business park in Castle Donington’s Welsted Road. Hundreds of new homes are being built in the area which is just a stone’s throw from East Midlands Airport.

The single-storey cafe will boast indoor dining seating alongside its takeaways. 22 parking spaces, including three disabled spaces, make up the drive-thru car park, with access made ‘easily visible’ from the side of the road.

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Starbucks claimed the new store was designed for “optimal” use and would offer customers a “unique Starbucks experience”. The Welsted Road site will not have a kitchen, but will serve hot and cold drinks for food and takeaway.

The drive-thru will create nine full-time jobs and 12 full-time positions, including store and store management roles. Clowes Developments had claimed the cafe had “a high quality aesthetic design” which would “enhance the area” and provide a boost to both jobs and amenity for residents.

Officials from North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) agreed and approved the scheme this week. In the documents, the council said Clowes had “proactively acted” throughout the planning process to bring improvements to the scheme. They said the drive-thru would help the area and was a “sustainable” development.

Meanwhile, officials are yet to decide on a new Sainsbury’s store for the Stud Brook Business Park area. That proposal, which replaced ideas for a pub for the major housing development, could create 20 new jobs, with the NWLDC to decide on it at a later date.

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