Sheffield Council green lights new Costa Coffee drive-thru near Sheffield United football ground

The site at 443 – 447 Queens Road, Highfield – which used to be a scaffolding supplies business – will be demolished and a single storey drive-thru with 20 car parking spaces, cycle hoops and landscaping will be put in its place.

The planning and highways committee approved the plans in a meeting this week but added a condition to restrict trading hours to no later than 10pm on Sundays.

Ahead of voting, councillor Peter Price said: “I think it will vastly improve the area and I support it because I think it is a bit abysmal down there.”

But not everyone felt the same.

Councillor Brian Holmshaw, who abstained from the vote, said: “It’s a difficult one. I really don’t like the idea of a drive-thru anything. We don’t want to be encouraging car use in this city as far as I’m concerned. I think this is an opportunity for a riverside coffee and toilet stop on a newly opened section of the river where tables, seating and safe cycle storage exists along the River Sheaf.”

What do neighbours think?

There were 67 representations made by members of the public – all objections – including from the Sheaf and Porter River Trust, all City ward councillors and Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust.

The majority of respondents had no objection to the principle of redeveloping the site but they wanted to see measures in place to allow a riverside walk.

Following negotiation, the applicant amended the plans to reduce the number of car parking spaces and incorporate the walk.

In a report prepared for councillors ahead of the meeting, council officers said: “Amended plans have been received which show the introduction of a new riverside walk running alongside the Sheaf opening up this section of the river to the public. Although the walk is not proposed to be to adoptable standard, its presence will enable the opening up of, and connection to, a significant section of the River Sheaf Walk, and is a positive aspect of the proposal.”