AN EXTRA delivery could be made to Costa Coffee in North Berwick each day of the working week, should an application from the national coffee shop chain get the go-ahead.

Costa Coffee, which opened at 17 Market Place earlier this year, has applied to East Lothian Council for a variation to one of the conditions imposed on its planning application approval.

The variation is “to allow up to two deliveries per day” at the shop and has drawn criticism from members of North Berwick Community Council (NBCC).

At the group’s recent monthly public meeting, Olwyn Owen, NBCC acting vice-chairwoman, said: “There is one delivery at the moment between 7am and 7pm – they don’t seem to want to change the time.”

She was worried about the impact on residents in the area, who had voiced concerns prior to the coffee shop opening.

At that time, Julie Scanlon, who lives directly above the shop, said: “The noise level is a problem and so are deliveries.”

However, NBCC member Ian Watson saw no issue and said: “It is not up to us to tell a business how it should operate.”

Bill Macnair, another community councillor, said that he was alarmed at the number of “big lorries” that were now delivering to the town’s High Street.

He called on East Lothian Council to take action and limit the size of vehicles which carry out deliveries.

Sue Northrop, another NBCC member, agreed with Mr Macnair.

She said: “They [lorries] place people in a state of fear and alarm when they’re walking along the street.”

After a lengthy debate, the community council agreed not to object to Costa Coffee’s plans but said it would write to the local authority to voice concerns about the vehicles used for deliveries.

The application will now be decided by East Lothian Council’s planning department.