Council set to take no action over Tim Hortons decision

A furious row over the controversial decision to allow a coffee chain to open in Motherwell despite roadworks not being completed has shown no signs of abating.

In a fresh development, it has been revealed that no action is likely to be taken by North Lanarkshire Council to uphold the current planning permission for the Tim Hortons in Motherwell - in the event that councillors vote against the application to delay vital road widening works.

At the end of last year, the developer submitted proposals to postpone implementation of the planning condition to alter the road layout and the matter will now be brought to the next meeting of the Planning Committee on Thursday (January 28)- with officers recommending councillors approve the application.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All planning proposals that receive at least six comments are required to go to committee for a decision and 42 objections were sent in to the council on the application from Tim Hortons to delay the road widening works by four months.

Despite this, the Tim Hortons opened for drive-thru takeaway at the end of December in breach of the planning permission that was granted in August 2018 and specified that the restaurant must not start operating until Knowetop Avenue had been widened into two distinct lanes on approach to its junction with Windmillhill Street.

Local councillor, Nathan Wilson who objected strongly to the facility commencing use before this condition was met, contacted planning bosses to seek confirmation on what would happen if the committee voted down the application given the Tim Hortons is now operating.

In response to a direct question from Councillor Wilson asking for clarification on the council’s intentions should elected members refuse permission, the Planning Service responded to confirm they would likely pursue an approach which effectively take Tim Hortons on trust to complete the road widening while doing nothing to enforce it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Councillor Wilson said: “It is a complete injustice to my constituents who are required to navigate this extremely challenging road network that the Tim Hortons was allowed to commence use for drive-thru takeaway in breach of the planning permission

“The condition that the drive-thru takeaway could only commence use after the completion of vital road widening works was clearly not worth the paper it was on.”

A council spokesperson said: “We have been in discussions with the applicant on the implications of the planning application breach and how this can be resolved as quickly as possible with minimum disruption to the local road network. The company have committed to complete the work in April, which allows time for the necessary preparatory work to be carried out.

“Taking enforcement action against the company would be unlikely to result in the work being completed any sooner .Therefore, the recommendation is to approve the application to extend the timescale for the road widening to be carried out.”

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.