Drive Thru Restaurants

Propelled in no small part by the pandemic, the popularity of drive-thru restaurants in the UK is growing.  As a result, there is increasing pressure to find and secure attractive, well located new sites.  Firstplan has a proven track record delivering planning permission for drive-thru facilities nationwide – both new build outlets and the adaptation of existing restaurants to accommodate drive-thru lanes.

We act on behalf of many well-known restaurant operators, including Burger King and Five Guys, and many landowners and developers.  Our detailed understanding of evolving planning policy and the development control matters associated with drive-thru developments enables us to provide valuable expertise from the initial site search stage through to securing and implementing planning permissions.

Firstplan regularly undertake due diligence work to assess the viability of potential new sites.  We also manage all stages of the planning process itself, including:

• Pre-application engagement with Local Planning Authorities;
• Preparing robust planning applications including, where necessary, undertaking sequential assessments;
• Co-ordinating of teams of multi-disciplinary consultants to address all technical matters such as highway impacts, design, amenity impacts (e.g. noise and odour), flood risk, landscaping and sustainability;
• Negotiating and discharging conditions;
• Handling of planning appeals and enforcement issues.