20 jobs could be created under proposal for new drive-thru Costa cafe

A planning application has been submitted to build a cafe on a section of the car park in Pallion Retail Park.

While the company has said it has no confirmed plans in place, design documents submitted to Sunderland City Council by the park’s asset managers Ediston Opportunity Fund show the unit would be branded as a Costa.

The cafe could create up to 10 full-time and 10 part time jobs and would be open from midnight until 11pm.

The unit, opposite Matalan, would be just a short distance away from the New Wear Crossing, which will take traffic over the £117million bridge between Pallion and North Hylton.

A Costa spokesman said: “As the UK’s favourite coffee shop brand, we work closely with planning departments across the country to open new stores for the benefit of their local communities, creating new jobs and providing attractive and popular social meeting places.

“We are currently evaluating opportunities in the Sunderland area, but have no firm plans in place at this stage.”

A planning application has been sent on behalf of Ediston Opportunity Fund by Pritchett Planning Consultancy and states how the unit will go in place of parking spaces, with access into the car park to stay as it is.

Designs show the rectangular unit with drive-thru space would have a sloped roof.

A separate application has been submitted for various signs on the building.

Costa already has a cafe inside Waterstone’s in The Bridges.

It also has shops next to Byron Place in Seaham, the Castle Dene Shopping Centre in Peterlee, the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre in Durham and inside Next in South Shields.

The firm is owned by Whitbread, which also owns Premier Inn, and is the fastest growing coffee shop chain in the UK.

As part of its expansion plans, the business is targeting 2,500 Costa stores in the UK.

Plans have been submitted at locations across the country for drive-thrus, which would join is cafes and express counters in petrol stations.

It also has cafes in 29 countries across the world.

B&M, which is also based on the Pallion Retail Park, off Woodbine Terrace, is planning to relocate two units along to a bigger space to meet demand from its customers to the site.

It will see a further six staff join its team of 40 who already work on the park.

The park is also home to Dunelm, Iceland and Poundstretcher, with Pallion Metro Station neighbouring its entrance.