Plymouth could have its first Burger King drive-thru - and just yards from one run by rival McDonald’s.
The chain, famous for its signature Whopper, has been on the expansion trail during the past two years and is now targeting Britain’s Ocean City, where it only has two city centre outlets and no drive-thrus.
It is eyeing a former filling station on the A386 Tavistock Road, currently used as a car wash, which is just yards from a McDonald’s drive-thru.
A full planning application has been submitted to Plymouth City Council seeking the demolition of the existing buildings, where Car Wash Plymouth is currently trading, and the construction of a single-storey drive-thru restaurant.
The company said a new drive-thru would create 20 full-time jobs, and 20 part-time ones, and improve the look of the area, describing the car wash as “run-down”.
Burger King has been on a growth spurt, adding 30 outlets a year from until 2022, and said it is keen to increase the number of drive-thrus nationally and gain another outlet in Plymouth, where it only has restaurants in lower New George Street and in Drake Circus Shopping Centre.
A Burger King Planning Statement said: “The application seeks the redevelopment of the site to facilitate the development of a drive-thru restaurant, to be operated by Burger King. “The submission of the application is driven by Burger King’s desire to increase its operational presence in the Plymouth area, as significant parts of the Plymouth urban area fall outside the catchment area of the company’s existing outlets. It also reflects a strategic objective to increase the company’s portfolio of drive-thru restaurant facilities across the country.
“Burger King is a significant employer of local people from the locations in which it operates, with new restaurants creating a mix of full- and part-time positions for the long-term for local people, in addition to opportunities for short-term employment during the construction stage.
“The submitted application will also deliver the important additional benefit of regenerating a longstanding run-down site which negatively impacts the appearance of the surrounding area. The appearance of the application site is made more pertinent as it is located on Tavistock Road, a major route into Plymouth from the north of the city.”
Burger King wants to build a 232.2sq m single-storey unit, with “modern cladding” in Burger King’s corporate branding. If given permission the building would have an internal dining area, toilets and an enclosed bin storage facility, with a drive-thru lane and car parking spaces.
Burger King said: “The application should be supported due to its economic benefit as the scheme provides a total of up to 40 jobs, which includes 20 part time roles, that allows a greater number of surrounding residents to access private sector work who may not be able to perform full time roles. The construction of the building also provides additional private sector jobs.
“Secondly, the redevelopment of the site replaces an existing development that is in a poor state of repair and does not contribute positively to the character of the surrounding area.”
It added: “This proposal can be considered a marked improvement on the current disused petrol station that has negative visual impact on the surrounding area and is highly visible due to its location on Tavistock Road. The development will also contribute positively from a heritage perspective as it will improve the surrounding setting of the nearby listed monument Crownhill Fort relative to the run-down petrol station, which makes up the existing development.”
