Drive-through plan at site earmarked for housing

City of Wolverhampton Council had earmarked the site for housing

Plans have been revealed to build a drive-through coffee shop on a former petrol station site which was previously earmarked for housing.

A scheme for 24 two-bedroom flats was approved for the site off Parkfield Road in Wolverhampton in 2008 but the work was never carried out due to concerns about old mine shafts in the area.

The developer was granted extra time to carry out the work in 2013 but it never came to fruition.

Planning permission was also granted for a hand car wash on the site in 2009.

This planning permission was originally intended to be temporary, for three years, but it was extended in 2014 alongside a move to sell cars and tyres.

It was extended again – after an appeal – in 2018.

A request to continue using the land as a hand car wash, again temporarily for four years, was made in 2022 but rejected by City of Wolverhampton Council, which wanted to see the site used for housing.

The council’s refusal was overturned by a government inspector when the plans went to appeal.

The new plans would see a drive-through coffee shop and drive-through car wash replace the Snowfoam Hand Car Wash.

The hand car wash and former car sales site next to Parkfield Medical Centre would be demolished to make way for new electric vehicle (EV) charging points, according to the proposals.

A statement submitted as part of the planning application said: “Following the pre-application advice regarding noise to the residents to the rear, we have pulled everything away from this boundary and have the development fronting Parkfield Road as much as we can.

“The coffee drive-through is located to the west of the site beside the medical centre boundary while the EV and car wash site to the east of the site.”

It said the coffee shop would have limited indoor seating and it would predominantly be used as a drive-through, with some outdoor seating.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.