Swansea Council rejects drive-thru proposal at retail park

PLANS for a drive-thru Burger King in a Swansea retail park have been turned down.
Swansea Council planning officers rejected the application for Parc Fforestfach because large retaining walls would be needed and areas of landscaping lost.
They said this would result in a “discordant” development which would look out of place.
The two-storey scheme was put forward on behalf of the burger chain by UK Retail Warehouse Fund, which planned to demolish a unit formerly occupied by Carphone Warehouse and two smaller units which were occupied by Greggs and O2.
The drive-thru would have had space for 80 customers, employ 25 staff and have 16 parking spaces.
The applicants said other sites had been considered for a drive-thru but discounted as they weren’t appropriate. A transport assessment estimated the drive-thru would generate just over 1,000 two-way vehicle trips per day, nearly 200 more than the existing site’s use.
Two members of the public objected to the plans, saying there were already four fast food outlets within three miles of the site, and that litter was a big problem.
Planning officers said the drive-thru was acceptable in principle at an out-of-town retail park but they noted its floorspace was larger than set out under the relevant policy.
Highways officers requested planning conditions to ensure that parking provision and access in and out of the drive-thru were appropriate for lots of vehicles.
But it was the need for a new retaining wall, rising to 4.2m at highest point, which officers objected to.
They also said the loss of landscaped areas near one of only two entrances to the retail park would “significantly alter” the existing layout.
The applicants can appeal the council’s refusal decision.
Pizza Hut used to have restaurant at the site in question. Eight years ago it got the go-ahead to divide the building into three units.
Three years ago McDonald’s submitted a pre-application enquiry for a new restaurant which would have been bigger than Burger King’s. Planning officers said the McDonald’s outlet could threaten policies which aimed to increase footfall in the city centre. Parking and road safety issues were also raised.