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15
Jun 2021
Residents prepare for Wetherby Road Starbucks battle today
After three rejections in four years, residents on Wetherby Road are set to face another appeal over a controversial proposed Starbucks drive-thru.
The plan for the coffee shop by Euro Garages on the former 1st Dental surgery site is set to go before another appeal this morning.
The online hearing before a government planning inspector will be the latest battle for residents against the plans.
It comes as Harrogate Borough Council withdrew its objection to the proposal. Council officers said the authority's previous recommendation would "undermine" their case.
Four year battle over drive-thru
After the plans were first refused by the council in 2017, a key moment came a year later when a first appeal was dismissed by an inspector on the grounds that the site would cause “unacceptable” harm to nearby residents.
Euro Garages then submitted a revised scheme after what they said was “very careful consideration” of the inspector’s ruling, with a reduction in the size of the proposed building and relocated parking.
Read more:
- Controversial Wetherby Road Starbucks would ‘change our lives’, say residents
- Harrogate councillor ‘confident’ ahead of Wetherby Road Starbucks appeal
- Harrogate councillors cave in over Starbucks drive-thru plans
The latest rejection came in 2019 when councillors refused the proposal again. Councillors rejected the proposal on grounds of air quality and traffic flow concerns along Wetherby Road.
However, Euro Garages decided to take the decision to appeal for a second time.
Despite the council dropping its objection, the appeal will still go ahead and allow residents to voice their concerns over the development.
'We’ll fight our corner’
Ahead of this morning's hearing, residents have said they are prepared to “fight their corner” over the proposal.
Joanne Richardson, who lives on Coachman’s Court next to the site, said there were good reasons to turn down the application.
She said:
Liberal Democrat Cllr Pat Marsh, who represents the area on the borough council, is to lead the residents into the planning appeal hearing.
She told the Stray Ferret previously that she was confident that the group had enough reasons to turn down the plan.
Cllr Marsh said:
Euro Garages, which also operates drive-thru facilities for KFC and Greggs, did not wish to comment ahead of the hearing.
However, in its statement of case submitted to the inspector, it said there were “no justifiable planning basis for refusal”.
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