Starbucks drive-thru gets the nod next to giant Preston Asda supermarket

The new coffee shop will occupy a corner of the Asda car park in Fulwood after council bosses gave plans the thumbs up.

It will be the company's fourth drive-thru in the city and will add to two other sit-in Starbucks in Preston and one in Walton-le-Dale.

And with rivals Costa having three drive-thrus and three sit-ins - with two more drive-thrus now under construction - Preston is now being seen as the coffee drinking capital of Lancashire.

The new drive-thru in Fulwood will be built in the southern corner of the Asda car park. It will be the 14th Starbucks to open adjacent to supermarkets in England and Wales operated by the retail giant.

The application was put in by the Euro Garages Group, set up by Blackburn brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who bought Asda in 2021.

The cafe will employ up to 20 staff - five full-time and 15 part-time - and will open from 7am to 11pm. It will have seating for 34 customers as well as a drive-thru facility running clockwise around the building.

Starbucks already operates drive-thrus in Blue Bell Way, Blackpool Road and on Preston's Dock Estate. The company also has sit-in venues in Fishergate, the Railway Station and the Capitol Centre.

The Asda scheme will see the loss of 68 car parking spaces on a giant site which currently has almost 700. A planning report to the council says: "The facility will expand the range of services available at the Asda store, improving the retail experience and providing new employment opportunities on both a full and part-time basis suitable to meet a range of employment needs which is a significant benefit associated with the development.

"The applicant has secured permission for many Starbucks coffee shops in Asda car parks around the country. The facility will expand the range of services available at the Asda store, improving the retail experience and providing new employment opportunities."

The company says the drive-thru would be of "high quality appearance." The site is screened from Eastway by trees and CCTV cameras would be installed to "discourage anti-social behaviour." Litter-picking patrols will go out three times a day "to maintain the quality of the environment."