Plans for a new Starbucks drive-thru across the road from a Costa drive-thru have been given the green light by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The plans, put forward by Metalcraft Projects Limited, will see a Starbucks coffee shop, car park with electric vehicle charging hub and cycle parking built on vacant land off James Brindley Way in Sandyford, between the BP garage and the SG Fleet building.

A Costa drive-thru, which opened in October 2022, is located less than a 200-yard walk away from the newly approved Starbucks site.

It comes after Costa on Alexandra Park in Tunstall closed in 2024 following the opening of Starbucks in the town the year before. Plans for another Starbucks drive-thru in Longton have also been approved by city planners.

The application states" The current application proposals involve the comprehensive redevelopment of the site to deliver a drive thru' coffee shop (Class E) to be occupied by Starbucks and an EV charging hub with access; car and cycle parking; hard and soft landscaping; loading bay and associated works.

"The proposed Starbucks unit and associated drive thru' lane will occupy the northern part of the site and will have a total floor area of 167 sq.m (GIA)."

Plans of what the Sandyford Starbucks drive-thu will look like. (Planning application)

There will be 15 parking spaces, two disabled parking bays along with the charging hub. The access to the site will be off James Brindley Way using the existing entrance and exit for the BP garage.

The development will take Sanyford's drive-thru total to four, with KFC, McDonald's and Costa also operational in the area.

The application adds: "The application site is bound by James Brindley Road to the north and there is an area of open land opposite the site to the north of James Brindley Way beyond which lies a recently completed convenience store and drive thru coffee shop development.

"The proposals include the delivery of an EV charging hub that will help to enhance the delivery of additional EV charging infrastructure within Stoke to support the transition towards ultra-low emission vehicles in line with established local and national objectives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing the negative impacts of climate change. 

"The application proposals also represent an entirely appropriate form of design and will not give rise to unacceptable impacts in relation to highway safety, flood risk, contaminated land or public safety."

The highways authority did not support the plans and a traffic management plan needs to be submitted before development commences.