Major redevelopment of the former Quest Motors site is set to go ahead, following approval by Maldon district councillors last night (Wednesday 20 October).

The development, on Wycke Hill Business Park, is set to create up to 35 jobs and further employment opportunities during its construction phase.

Members of the district council's central area planning committee voted through the development on condition, however, that the proposed hybrid approach to parking bay sizes on the site be altered.

Councillor Kevin Lagan said: "Mothers and their pushchairs and people in wheelchairs need bigger space."

Proposing to approve the plans on condition that all parking bays measure the preferred size of 5.5m by 2.9m, Councillor Mark Heard, chairman of the council, said: "If we carry on building these small parking spaces, it's just going to make going there off-putting for people."

The current number of parking spaces proposed for the site is 55, which is likely to be cut as a result of making the parking bays the same preferred size across the site.

The redevelopment follows Quest Motors shutting its Maldon branch in May, after trading in the town for almost a century.

The developer, Barkby Real Estate, submitted its application to redevelop the Wycke Hill site in the same month.

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The site is set to include an autocentre with vehicle repair, MOT testing, a showroom and car parking alongside a drive-through Costa Coffee shop, which was queried by members.

Councillor Christopher Swain said: "The drive-through coffee idea seems to be totally unrelated to what otherwise is simply an addition to the business park and I can't see the value of that.

"Why should that be incorporated in this development here?

"It's going to be the main producer of traffic from this site - much more than what you get at the moment or have had with Quest Motors."

Councillor Lagan said: "Costa Coffee has such a dominant presence in our town."

He added: "The independent coffee shops in our town should be given the chance to have something of this nature because other opportunities are not available for them.

"They deserve to have - what I would call - a premium site coming into the town offered to them.

"I think we're really missing out on supporting the businesses in our town."

Mr Johnson, a district council planning officer, said that, although he has "sympathy" with these concerns, "if a Costa is coming through, we can't say there is a threshold for Costas".

He added: "We just can't control that."

Councillor Heard also added a condition that more electric car charging points be added to the development, with at least one added to the parking proposed for Costa.

His proposal was seconded by Councillor Stephen Nunn and voted through by members - with six councillors for, two against and one abstention.

Officers will now draw up and assess a revised parking layout, which will need to come back for agreement with at least the chairman of the central area planning committee - Councillor Michael Edwards.