Plans for a drive-thru Costa Coffee on an industrial estate have been approved - but flooding concerns mean the government could now get involved.
The proposal for the Medway City Estate - close to the McDonald’s restaurant and Co-op petrol station - was given the green light by Medway Council.
The authority’s planning committee discussed the proposals yesterday (June 5) where officers outlined how the designs had been improved from a previous version which had been rejected due to lack of pedestrian access and issues with the road network.
However, although officers recommended the new plans for approval they said the decision should be referred to the Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities due to a letter of objection from the Environment Agency.
Although Medway Council’s flooding officers, who consulted on the application, did not agree.
Because of the objection, the committee agreed, to request a call-in to the Secretary of State which means they are asking them to consider the application and decide whether the ultimate decision should be made by the relevant government department.
Cllr Gary Hackwell (Con) supported the planning officers, saying: “Looking at the Environmental Agency’s map, it’s pixelated and very hard to tell what is really flood zone two and flood zone three, it’s not a very accurate map.
“It’s interesting to note the whole of the waste sewage area the other side of the [A289] is completely in flood zone three, so we have set precedents in the past to build structures in that flood zone.
“I like the process that the applicant has gone away and looked at all the reasons for refusal and tried to mitigate against that and, in officer’s opinions, has done a good job.”
Cllr Hazel Browne (Lab) asked if the Environment Agency had changed their policies around the severity of flood risk required for an objection.
Peter Hockney, service manager for Medway Council, said a change in policy had not been mentioned when planning officers met with the public body to discuss the objection and there had been no changes in relation to the categorisation of flood risks either.
Cllr Adrian Gulvin (Con) expressed support for the developer saying: “This is a good example of where a developer has gone away and rethought things and taken the council’s recommendations and come back with a sensible proposal.
“I also think it’s worth making a comment that this is the last bit of the Medway City Estate which has not yet been built on - that’s a remarkable milestone and shows the success in providing an employment area.”
The proposals were approved with 14 votes for and one abstention from Cllr Roger Barrett (Con), who appeared to be asleep.
Cllr Barrett has been contacted to ask for an explanation as to why he didn’t vote.
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Councillors also agreed to refer the application to the secretary of state for them to consider the application in light of the objection by the Environment Agency.
It will means the decision will be delayed until after the general election on July 4.
The new secretary of state will either decide to intervene, or will accept the recommendations of planning officers and agree with their decision.
If approved, the scheme would see a two-storey Costa coffee shop and drive-thru with around 25 car parking spaces.
In addition, the application includes a separate 10-vehicle storage unit with repair shop facilities. Believed to be for classic cars.
It will be sited on land adjoining Terrance Butler Avenue, off Anthonys Way - close to the open-all-hours McDonald’s, which also features a drive-thru.
The application has been submitted by Diljit Brar - the man behind the Goldex empire based in Southfleet, near Gravesend.
Goldex runs 34 Costa franchises across the county and is also the co-owner of the Kaspa Desserts chain, which has six outlets across Kent.
