Plans for two new drive-thru restaurants at Arena Shopping Park

A shopping area in Coventry could have double the number of drive-thru restaurants under a new scheme. Plans for new fast-food takeaways at Arena Shopping Park were lodged with the council last month.

The site by Coventry Arena already has a Starbucks and Burger King drive-thru near its main shopping terrace. Now two drive-thru restaurants set to be occupied by Popeyes and Five Guys could be built on part of its car park.

It would lead to the loss of 152 parking spaces, some 10% of the site's total. Plans state the car park has a lot of spare capacity and losing the bays would not create any "unacceptable" parking pressure.

The new outlets would also create around 80 jobs, plans state, though most of these would be part-time roles. Most of their customers are expected to be people already visiting the shopping park, plans add.

The drive-thru units would also affect how the site's main shopping stretch is accessed - including moving the entrance to the car park. The main access road would be reduced to two lanes, then widen to a right turning lane, according to plans.

The changes would also improve facilities for people walking through the site who would get better links to the train station and neighbouring CBS Arena, plans claim. The new outlets would have outdoor seating and new landscaping including shrubs, trees and ornamental planting.

There would also be parking spaces between the units which would also be used as a service route controlled by "retractable bollards," the document adds. Coventry council has not yet made a decision on the plans.

Full details of the scheme can be viewed on the council's online planning portal via reference: PL/2024/0001459/FUL.

In what way would it 'create' 80 jobs?

People are going to buy more food than they usually do are they?

All it will do is take away 80 jobs from elsewhere in the city.