Revised plans have been submitted to Birmingham City Council for a Costa Coffee drive-thru at the former Colliers car showroom site on Sutton Road, Erdington, with the scheme now excluding Greggs, which was part of an earlier approved application.
The original proposal, submitted in 2023 by SEP Properties, was for two retail units, a Costa Coffee drive-thru, and a neighbouring Greggs, with a car park for 23 spaces including two electric vehicle charging points and two disabled bays. That scheme was approved, but a revised version with more electric vehicle bays was thrown out because it impacted on the level of landscaping.
Now Sigma Property Co Limited has submitted a fresh application to go it alone with a Costa Coffee drive-thru at the site, without the Greggs unit. The new plan is for one Costa drive-thru retail unit on a smaller footprint of 167 square metres, down from 307 square metres gross floor area.
Revised scheme addresses earlier concerns
The new application, reference 2026/03987/PA, proposes 27 parking spaces, with six electric charging points and two disabled bays. Timothy Slater of Gould Singleton Architects said the plan would have “less building footprint and more landscaping when compared to the approved scheme”.
The coffee shop is proposed to open from 5am to 11pm Monday to Sunday. It would create 15 jobs – three full time and 12 part time – equivalent to eight full-time roles.
Mr Slater said: “The proposals aim to reintroduce active frontage and visual cohesion, replacing the current vacant, sterile appearance with a more vibrant, landscaped, and biodiverse environment.”
Site has been empty for four years
The former Colliers car site was levelled and the Lidl supermarket opened in 2023, but the corner of the site where the Costa Coffee shop would open has remained empty since then. Costa Coffee closed its Erdington High Street store at the start of 2024, despite the new drive-thru not being anywhere near ready.
The previous revised scheme, which had 25 spaces with nine electric charging bays and two disabled bays, was recommended for refusal by planning officer Hamzah Rehman due to the loss of soft landscaping, and the planning committee agreed.
Public consultation open until September 9
Mr Slater added: “The proposal’s nature and modest scale are considered appropriate and noncontentious given the site’s previous commercial uses. The site already has the benefit of a full and detailed planning permission for two retail units. This proposal seeks only change the development to a single unit with a smaller footprint than that which has already been approved.”
He also said the electric vehicle parking area has been amended to incorporate more landscaping, addressing the concerns that led to the previous scheme being refused. “The proposed redevelopment of the former Sutton Road, Erdington site will bring a vacant brownfield plot back into use, providing new jobs and amenities for the local community,” he said.
The planning application is currently in a public consultation period. Comments can be made to Birmingham’s planning department up to and including Wednesday, September 9.
