Plans for a drive-thru Starbucks in Harrogate are back on the agenda - here's everything you need to know

International petrol station-managing firm Euro Garages submitted the application in May to convert the former dental surgery on Wetherby Road into a drive-thru coffee shop.

It comes seven months after a Government Inspector upheld Harrogate Borough Council's decision to reject a similar proposal last year.

Euro Garages had lodged an appeal after their application was knocked back by the authority in August 2017 amid concerns over the impact it might have on highway safety, air quality and nearby residents.

A representative of the Government Inspectorate subsequently backed the council's decision, on the grounds that a business at the site would cause "unacceptable" harm to the living conditions of nearby residents.

The Government Inspectorate's findings found that activity at the site, such as car doors closing, noise from the voices of people going in and out of the proposed coffee shop and car stereo systems, would be “particularly annoying” for neighbours.

“Added to this, the fumes from idling vehicles, whilst not creating an identified health hazard, are likely to be unpleasant for the occupants of these dwelling when they are in their gardens,” the Government Inspectorate's report stated.

However, in an updated planning statement, Euro Garages state the inspector's decision was considered "very carefully" in the revised scheme.

The new plans includes a reduction in the size of the proposed building to allow for an increased amount of landscaping between the business and neighbouring properties, while parking has been relocated to the front of the unit further away from existing dwellings.

However, concerns still remain, with ward member for Harrogate Stray Coun John Ennis among those who have voiced their opposition to the proposal.

"The reason I want it to go back to the planning committee is that I believe it is the wrong development in the wrong place," he said.

He said that while the Government Inspector had backed council's reasoning on the basis of potential harm to nearby residents, he still had concerns about traffic and air quality in the area.

"I struggle to see how access could be safely constructed, given how close it is to one of the busiest junctions in Harrogate," he said, referencing the junction between Hookstone Chase and Wetherby Road.

The application includes plans for 19 car parking spaces, while the proposed trading hours would see the shop open from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 8pm on Sundays and public holidays.

The new submission is the latest development in the protracted plans for the would-be coffee shop.

It's the third time it has come to the council, with the proposal first lodged in April 2012.

That application was withdrawn the following October amid objections from local residents, before the first revised application was submitted - and subsequently rejected - in 2017.