Town councillors have objected to plans to repurpose a closed canalside pub to turn the site into a drive thru coffee shop.

Gentian Leamington Spa Ltd has put forward a scheme to convert the former Waterside pub into a new café - the latest in a string of plans to bring the building back to life.

If approved, there would be 10 EV spaces included, as well as a new drive thru lane built around the Queensway pub.

But members at Leamington Spa Town Council have objected to the application, "due to increased volume of traffic".

Another planning application has been submitted from the Waterside Inn (image via planning application)

It also says there is "inadequate demonstration that air quality impact has been mitigated" for given the development would be right next to the park and canal.

The planning application comes as the latest in a string of plans to remodel the site.

Developer Cresco Investors Limited has previously applied for planning permission to flatten the Waterside Inn and replace it with a 40-bed apartment building before withdrawing the plans last year following a number of objections.

advertisement

Previous planning applications to Warwick District Council said there had been a "universally negative" response to try and secure a new operator to reopen the business.

The Queensway boozer was then put on the market with local agent Bromwich Hardy, with a guide price of £2,750,000.

The listing has since been taken down.

An outline of how the drive thru would work (image via planning application)

Since then Cresco has put forward a more modest scheme, this time to turn the Waterside into eight residential units.

This application is also still pending a decision from WDC.

And now this latest proposal from Gentian says it would give the unit a "unique and quality" look and attract more visitors to the area.

"Proposals brings an old and tired building in a prominent waterside location back to life to provide a new local facility for the benefit of the local community and the wider area," the application said.

advertisement

See the latest application here.