A planning application for a drive-thru cafe at a retail park in Totton will also improve safety for HGV drivers, claim the authors of the application.

As reported by the Daily Echo, plans are afoot to make changes to the car park and construct a drive thru cafe.

Those behind the plans claim the proposed changes to the car park would aid HGV drivers:

“This area of the car park is currently used as a 'hammerhead’ turning area to allow HGVs to pull in and reverse back into the north service area. The proposed layout will remove this hammerhead, allowing HGVs to drive into the service area in forward gear, turn and drive out in forward gear. The existing service area will be modified to allow the vehicles to complete this manoeuvre. This revised arrangement will greatly improve safety on the site as HGV’s can enter and leave the service area in forward gear negating the need to reverse across a public space,” reads the application.

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While the actual layout of the car park will not be revised, the plans would see arrows painted on the tarmac to organise traffic flow in a one direction. This, it is said, shall prevent conflict at the entrance to the drive thru.

New Forest District Council has nonetheless come out against the plans, citing concerns over increased traffic, noise and pollution, as well as worries over the safety of pedestrians.

Changes to Totton retail park to accommodate drive-thru cafe would improve HGV safety