A new drive-thru coffee shop is being planned for Lurgan as a result of a significant investment in the town, Armagh I can exclusively reveal.
And we understand that the intended tenant will be the world famous Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons.
It will be situated opposite the new Home Bargains store, which is due for completion shortly.
The coffee shop will be a stand alone development and built on what is currently described as a “brownfield site”.
It is expected that in the region of 10 new jobs would be created as a result.
While Tim Hortons do not confirm in advance of securing planning approval any hopes for new outlets, architects’ drawings for the Lurgan-based development – seen by Armagh I – are almost identical to those for the drive-thru coffee shop it is currently building in Portadown, as well as another in Bangor – which is due for a pre-Christmas launch on Monday, December 20 – and Newtownards, presently under consideration by council officials.
The applications also indicate the creation of the same estimated number of jobs.
The Lurgan drive-thru would be one of the larger of the franchise’s outlets, offering a floorspace of around 3,500 sq ft, for dining both on and off the premises.
As well as Portadown under construction, the company already has three shops in Belfast, as well as Glengormley, Coleraine and Cookstown, with Bangor less than two weeks away and others at Ballymena and Antrim described as “coming soon”. Plans for more – including Newtownabbey and now Lurgan – will follow.
An application for the new drive-thru coffee shop – the second for County Armagh, with both in the Upper Bann constituency – has just been lodged with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for consideration.
It has been submitted by Curleys Properties Ltd, which is based in Belfast, the applicant which had sought permission for the Home Bargains outlet.
The drive-thru will sit “immediately east” of the budget retailer’s new Lurgan superstore.
There would be two drive-thru lanes with speakers to place orders on the outer, and these would merge into one for collections.
There is also an external seating area planned for customers.
Room is also left for the possible erection of ‘totem’ style advertising to meet the tenant’s needs.
The actual location is given in the submission to council as “vacant lands north of Millennium Way (approximately 160m west of Gilford Road /Banbridge Road and Flush Place roundabout) and south of Shaerf Drive (approximately 60m south east of Queens Walk)”.
The proposals also include car parking provision, with a total of 45 spaces and four disabled bays.
There would be “minor amendments” made too to previously approved access arrangements for the overall site. This is to construct an internal roundabout to help with traffic flow.
Tim Hortons – named after the Canadian hockey legend – is renowned worldwide for its coffee, freshly baked goods – including an extensive range of home-made donuts – sandwiches, wraps and other such fayre.
The company recently indicated that it wanted to open as many as 25 new outlets in Northern Ireland and tweeted just weeks ago: “We’re working hard to open as many Tim Hortons in the UK as fast as possible.”
This is actually the third drive-thru application for Lurgan to come forward this year.
In February, Armagh I revealed proposals for a 2,500 sq ft drive-thru restaurant on a “vacant plot”, which is “annexed by the Millennium Way Road development”. The tenant had not yet been confirmed, but the exact location was given as “lands at Millennium Way, Lurgan, opposite (west) of 1 Millennium Place and backing onto 61-67 Trasna Way and Garage Court serving 41- 47 Trasna Way, Lurgan, Armagh”.
Then in July, Armagh I again revealed plans for a “drive through takeaway food outlet”, as well as office accommodation, on a site opposite and east of the Toymaster store at the Quarry Business Park on the Portadown Road, Lurgan.
Both of those proposals remain under consideration.
This third and latest drive-thru application for Lurgan – which also includes landscaping plans and associated siteworks – will now be publicly advertised shortly.
