A STARBUCKS coffee shop with a drive-thru takeaway could be created on the western edge of Haddington.

Euro Garages Ltd, which is transforming the former Raceland karting site near Gladsmuir into a roadside services hub, has applied to East Lothian Council to develop land at Gateside West.

The site, off the B6471 West Road, is next to Persimmon Homes’ Haddington Manse development.

It was previously earmarked for a pub/restaurant but could now become home to East Lothian’s first Starbucks.

The coffee shop giant is not named on the planning application itself but drawings of the proposed development submitted to the local authority by Euro Garages Ltd are labelled as the ‘Starbucks site’.

Says the planning application: “It is considered that the development will provide both a modern food and drink facility, which will offer an accessible ‘third place’ to the surrounding residential areas, for social gatherings and as a meeting place for local community groups.”

If approved, the coffee shop would employ about 20 people and be open seven days a week from 6am to 11pm, with parking for 28 vehicles, including two disabled spaces and two electric car spaces.

Paul Darling, of the town’s community council, had mixed feelings about the project.

He said: “I’m happy to see some sort of infrastructure but you can already have a cup of coffee every day of the week in Haddington without going into the same establishment twice.”

Euro Garages was given the green light by East Lothian Council’s planning committee earlier this month for the former Raceland site.

More than 200 jobs are expected to be created at that site, which will become home to a 24-hour petrol station and fast food drive-thru, with additional fast food and coffee shop drive-thrus open daily.

Euro Garages already has 104 Starbucks operating out of its sites, which stretch across the UK and beyond.

Three of Haddington’s ward councillors – John McMillan, Brian Small and Tom Trotter – sit on the local authority’s planning committee, which could make the decision on the plans.

Councillor Shamin Akhtar, who also represents the town, is not part of the committee and said: “Firstly it’s important that whatever plans are put forward that they support our town centre. So, in that respect, I will await to see the ideas that are being put forward by the developer, and will be asking the question as to how they will support this aim.”

In 2015, planning permission was given for the creation of a pub/restaurant on the site, along with 112 houses and business/light industrial units.

Although the housing has been completed, neither the industrial units nor pub/restaurant have been built.

Instead, an unsuccessful bid was made to create 16 more houses on the site earmarked for the pub/restaurant. That was rejected, with the council keen to see the land retained for employment.

After being contacted by the Courier for a comment, a spokesperson for Starbucks said: “Unfortunately, we don’t have anything to share at the moment.”