Drive through for fast food restaurant approved

Traffic issues addressed

A fast food restaurant is to create a drive-through lane at its branch at Barnstaple Retail Park.

Burger King has been trading there for six months, having taken over a Station Road unit formerly occupied by Pizza Hut.

It asked North Devon Council to allow it to reconfigure the car park into a drive-through lane.

The application was opposed by Barnstaple Town Council and initially by Devon Highways as it considered nearby roads already suffered “significant congestion” and it would be likely to create safety issues.

The one member of the public who opposed the scheme said it would involve more traffic turning in and out of the car park, which is “already a considerable bottleneck even on quiet days.”

“This is just unsustainable and would cause gridlock with the present road system,” they said.

But the plans were approved after Burger King offered a £13,000 contribution towards a £700,000 improvement plan for the Station Road junction to increase capacity and reduce delays. That changed highways officers’ minds.

Delivery access will move from the back of the car park and instead go through the retail park’s private roads.

Parking spaces will be cut from 30 to 21, and a small section of the restaurant will be demolished.

North Devon Council’s planning officers said the application would help the restaurant sell more and make the site more attractive and accessible.

“It would have potential to contribute positively towards the economy of Barnstaple,” they said.