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25

Mar 2023

Business
Business

Harrogate Leon site owners silent over future plans

Published: 25 Mar 2023, 07:00 GMT

by Calvin Robinson

Comment

0

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The owners of Harrogate’s Leon site have remained tight lipped over its future amid speculation it could become a Starbucks.

The Stray Ferret revealed this month the Wetherby Road fast food venue would cease trading, with the loss of about 20 jobs, on April 2.

The site is operated by EG Group, which has a chain of forecourts across the country.

They include franchise partners such as Starbucks, Greggs and KFC.

The Stray Ferret approached EG Group to ask for an update on the site and if any replacement had been found for Leon, but we did not receive a response.



Read more:



  • No conditions for Wetherby Road drive-thru to be a Starbucks, says council

  • Leon confirms Harrogate closure amid speculation over site’s future





However, a source within Leon have told the Stray Ferret that a Starbucks drive-thru is the likely option for the site.

The company considered opening a Starbucks on Wetherby Road before Leon was announced instead.

Initial plans for Starbucks


Planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council back in 2019 proposed a drive-thru "to be operated by Starbucks Coffee Company" on the site.

However, following planning approval on appeal, EG Group announced a Leon would open at the site.

Residents near to the drive-thru raised concern that the scheme was not as advertised in the initial plan.

The Stray Ferret asked the borough council in April 2022 how the company was able to build the scheme as a Leon drive-thru when the original approval for the site showed a Starbucks coffee shop.

At the time, a borough council spokesperson said:

“Permission was granted by the Planning Inspectorate for a ‘coffee shop to include a drive-thru’, not specifically for a Starbucks. 
“The Inspectorate did not add any conditions to the permission they gave restricting the use of the premises solely to a coffee shop, so it can legally be used for any other use within the same use class, which includes a drive thru food and drink establishment. 
“So permission is not required for any change of use. However, the building being built differs from the one given planning permission. Therefore, a planning application has been submitted for these changes and is under consideration.”