Bump in the road for new Costa drive-thru in Shrewsbury as signage plans rejected over appearance concerns

Last year, plans were revealed to build a new Costa Coffee on the car park of Shrewsbury's former Sentinel Works near Morrisons on Whitchurch Road.

The former factory site was purchased by Paterson Enterprises Ltd around seven years ago and has since been rebranded as Sentinel Trade Park.

Plans for the new coffee shop are currently being considered by Shropshire Council after the consultation process concluded in February.

If they get the green light, the new store would employ around 15 people in full and part-time positions. 

But the plans have now hit a bump in the road after the proposed signage for the store was dubbed "detrimental to the visual amenity of the locality". 

The latest signage plans for the coffee shop included two digital screens, a drive-thru entrance barrier and an array of signs, one being 10 metres high.

A spokesperson for Shropshire Council's planning team said while the proposed signs would have "no adverse impact on highway or public safety" the signs - along with those already approved for another business on the site - "would have a cumulative adverse impact".

They added: "It is considered that the proposed illuminated 5.5-metre high totem sign and 10-metre high illuminated post sign due to their scale, design and prominence would be detrimental to the visual amenity of the locality and would have an adverse visual impact on the character and appearance of the street scene. 

"All of the proposed signs in addition to the existing signs and signs approved under [a previous application] would have a cumulative adverse impact on the visual amenity of the area."

A decision over the new store is due in the coming weeks, with the application available to view in full online at Shropshire Council's planning portal using reference number: 24/04593/FUL