Plans to reopen a Burger King drive-through in the former Frankie and Benny's restaurant in Morecambe could be refused.
Council officers are recommending that the international burger chain should not be given planning permission to convert the closed-down restaurant on Hillmore Way.
The premises was originally built in the mid-1990s as a drive-through Burger King takeaway until Italian-American restaurant chain Frankie & Benny's took over the site in 2008, removing the drive-through.
They vacated the site in 2020 and the building has been closed ever since.
Representatives of Burger King have asked for a 'change of use' on the building to restore the drive-through, demolish extensions to the premises and install new windows.
But a Lancaster City Council planning report says the plans fail "to provide adequate capacity for vehicles queuing to use the proposed drive through".
"The application site has been empty and deteriorating for some time, and the proposal would see the unit re-used, bringing it back into an active economic generating use and improving the visual condition of the building," it says.
"Subject to planning conditions and further negotiations the scheme could also be acceptable in terms of pedestrian connectivity, noise, odour, light pollution, car parking, and litter management.
"However, the lack of capacity in the drive through lane for queuing would result in an adverse impact on the local highway network. In this instance, the benefits of the proposal are not considered to outweigh the negative highways impacts, and as such the application is recommended for refusal."
Lancashire County Council Highways have objected to the plans, as have Environmental Health saying there has been "no information submitted on noise and odour (or) potential impacts on nearby residential receptors".
The land is owned by Lancaster City Council.
The decision on whether to grant planning permission now falls on the council's planning regulatory committee, made up of a group of elected councillors.
They will meet to discuss the plans at Morecambe Town Hall on March 27.
The meeting starts at 10.30am and is open to the public.
Burger King has a restaurant in Morecambe town centre, next to the Arndale.
In October 2022, the chain also opened a new restaurant in Lancaster city centre (see photo below).
Related Story: Burger King opens in Lancaster city centre - Beyond Radio
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