An abandoned workshop and offices are set to be demolished to make way for a new Costa drive-thru.

The coffee shop will be created in Snargate Street, Dover, which runs parallel to the A20, after a planning application was approved by Dover District Council (DDC).

It will be the town’s fourth branch of the national chain.

As well as the new building, the disused land – opposite the marina – will accommodate a car park, fitted with electric charging points.

Planning documents, submitted in June last year, state: “The new building will be sited within the footprint of the old warehouse with customer parking to the north and the drive-thru loop circumventing the building.”

The site is approximately 0.5 acres in size and is home to an ageing, late 20th-century employment unit that has been left in a “relatively dilapidated state”.

These will be demolished to make way for the new drive-thru and coffee shop, the plans for which were approved last week.

Illuminated and non-illuminated signs, pedestrian walkways, bike storage, and a 23-space car park for visitors and staff, with six EV charging points, were also approved.

The land is located within walking distance from the town centre and the St James’ retail park – already home to two Costas, one standalone café and one inside the Next store.

A third Costa can be found in Biggin Street.

Costa coffee is also served in the BP garage in Limekiln Street, just up from Snargate Street.

Planning documents claim the new-build will make a positive contribution to the seaside town, as the current warehouses are in a bad state.

The application notes: “In their current state, the buildings are at the end of their life cycle with the failing roofs and the cladding needing urgent attention, detracting from the visual amenity of the area.

“In the context of a busy Snargate Street, the proposal will not appear visually dominant or incongruous when viewed from any public highway, but a development will be a positive contribution to this part of Dover.”

The application notes that the business “will be a valuable service to complement the existing range of coffee shops in the Dover area by providing a facility for passing motorists in a convenient location”.

No objections from members of the public were submitted on the plans.

The new shop is anticipated to open between the hours of 5am-11pm, seven days a week.

It is unknown when demolition work will start.