New Starbucks drive-thru lane set to open near Stockport town centre

Starbucks is planning to open a drive-thru lane at one of its sites near Stockport town centre.

A planning application has been submitted for the work at the Starbucks on Garfield Court, off Great Portwood Street, near the M60.

The coffee chain was given permission for the drive-thru by Stockport councillors back in 2022, when it replaced a former Pizza Hut restaurant.

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It's located opposite Stockport Retail Park, in an area already served by food outlets, shops, and a Tesco.

A construction plan has been submitted to the council outlining plans for a refresh of the existing shop, to include the new drive-thru lane.

The work is due to begin on May 20 and take 16 weeks to complete, it states.

Drawings show the plan for the new lane to be built around the coffee shop, with dropped kerbs and a crossing for pedestrian access to the shop.

The construction plan states: 'The works comprise of the construction of drive thru lanes for an existing Starbucks branded QSR restaurant and minor alterations to the existing building to accommodate the alterations.'

The first planning application for the coffee shop chain at the site stated that some parking spaces would have to be removed to make way for the drive-thru, leaving a total of 52 spaces on the site.

But it's expected that around half of the orders made will come from the new drive-thru, reducing the need for on-site parking.

A report about the impact of the drive-thru lane found that it would 'not lead to any significant numbers' of extra cars on nearby roads.

It added: 'The proposed redevelopment of the existing restaurant to provide a drive-thru coffee shop facility would provide updated and more convenient facilities for the users of the surrounding retail areas.'