Food and drink uses attract short visits, often at busy times. Officers want to know where people will park, where delivery riders will wait, and whether queues will spill onto the road.
Cafés and restaurants
In town centres, most customers arrive on foot, and parking is rarely needed. On the edge of town, officers look at whether customers will park on the street near the entrance, especially on main roads or near junctions.
Takeaways
Hot food takeaways are a separate use class from cafés and restaurants, and attract particular scrutiny. Delivery riders waiting outside, stopping on yellow lines and pavement parking are common concerns. A plan for where riders wait and park helps.
Drive-thrus
- Queue length. The stacking space must hold the peak queue within the site, based on comparable sites.
- Access. Entry and exit designed so turning traffic does not block the road.
- Pedestrians. Safe routes that do not cross the drive-thru lane.
- Servicing. Deliveries kept clear of the queue.
Passing trade
Many visits to roadside food uses are by people already passing. These pass-by trips add turning movements at the access, but not new traffic on the wider network. A realistic split between new and passing trips, based on comparable data, keeps the assessment fair.
General information, not advice on a specific site. Policy and guidance correct as of October 2026.