Planning refused for Cork city KFC and Costa Coffee outlets

Council said drive thru isolates the cafe/restaurants from the main walking route serving the district

MSL removed the drive-thru from the KFC unit. However, the company sought to keep the drive-thru lane serving the Costa unit. Picture: Larry Cummins

Planning permission for two new cafe/restarants planned for KFC and Costa Coffee has been refused.

The developer had dropped one of the two planned drive-thrus due to a previous objection from planners, but the council has this week turned down the overall scheme.

Motor Services Ltd (MSL Group) had sought permission for two single-storey units on the western section of the car park at Turners Cross Retail Park, formerly Kinsale Road Retail Park. The site is close to Musgrave Park and the Creamfields housing development now under construction.

In March, City Hall planners issued a request for further information. They said the drive-thru elements of both units contravened the City Development Plan and gave the applicant a chance to revise the scheme by omitting them.

In a response lodged in September, MSL removed the drive-thru from the KFC unit. It said the unit would instead operate as a restaurant, with takeaway orders placed and collected inside. However, the company sought to keep the drive-thru lane serving the Costa unit.

The response argued that Costa is principally a cafe rather than a fast-food outlet, so the development plan's restrictions on drive-thru takeaways outside designated district centres should not apply to it. A letter from Costa's Irish operator, MBCC Foods, was included with the response. It said takeaway accounts for less than 20% of Costa's sales, compared with 40%-60% at KFC and McDonald's. 

Traffic consultants NRB Consulting Engineers said the revised scheme would add no more than about 4% to traffic through the Kinsale Rd junction. That is below the 5% threshold Transport Infrastructure Ireland applies to congested junctions. The assessment also noted queues of up to 15 vehicles at the junction in the 2028 evening peak.

But in a decision on Thursday, the council refused permission for a single reason. It said the inclusion of a drive-thru and its associated infrastructure was contrary to the development plan's objectives on transport and mobility, walkable neighbourhoods, and active travel.

According to the council, the siting of a car-orientated development, "specifically the drive-through element", fails to integrate with the high-capacity BusConnects services planned for Old Kinsale Rd. It also fails to maximise access to that route by providing "a people focused development of scale and density".

The council also objected to "a ring road around one unit", which it said isolates the cafe/restaurants from the main walking route serving the district. It said the scheme would discourage walking and cycling by "prioritising car movements over those wishing to access the restaurants by foot from the neighbouring community".