Natural England object to coffee-shop drive-thru on Portland
They're concerned about litter
A decision will be made this week on a drive-through coffee shop off Hamm Beach Road, Portland.
The application has raised concerns about the litter it could create around the gateway site and the wider impact on the landscape and ecology.
The 1.25 acre site is on the northern side of the road, immediately to the east of the Hamm roundabout, opposite the Lidl supermarket on the harbour side of the road into the National Sailing Academy.
Around a third of the site will be devoted to the drive through, likely to be Starbucks, closest to the roundabout, with two two-storey business units, divided into small units, on the rest of the site, closer to the sailing centre.
Concerns about the site have included an adequate plan to deal with flood risk, the design of the buildings which are said not to reflect the unique waterfront setting or the Heritage Coast setting and the expanse of 76 car parking spaces.
Natural England has said it is worried about the litter likely to be generated by the drive through and has asked to see proposals to deter people walking from the site onto the Hamm Beach.
Portland town council says it is neither for, or against, the application but has backed the Natural England call for a site management plan and for more work on environmental impacts: “ It requests Dorset Council to review collectively the accumulative impact of this development on both transport and infrastructure,” said a town council response.
Ward councillor Paul Kimber says Dorset Council needs to consider both the impact of the proposals on the area and whether it should allow developments which encourage people to use their cars more.
Nineteen people have written to Dorset Council about the proposals, only one in favour.
The others said the coffee shop was inappropriate for the gateway location, was out of keeping with the character of the area, is contrary to the aims of Portland’s neighbourhood plan, encourages unnecessary car use and that the new buildings might affect the wind for sailing and windsurfing. Several said the drive through would be detrimental to existing businesses and point out that there are already cafes on either side of the causeway.
Dorset Council planning officers say in their report to the area committee next Thursday (3rd) that the site is within the defined development boundary and is considered to comply with Local Plan and is considered acceptable in principle.