Subway, Guildford Tyre Co and Drink Warehouse have expressed interest at opening up for business on land by Minster Services.
The letters of interest are connected to a planning application by Blinkbox for partial change of use of land from lorry park to mixed use lorry park, MOT and tyre centre, retail/food and drink unit, rural office building with a ‘living roof’, mobile catering unit, three lorry parking spaces and eight car parking spaces – including four for the MOT centre and associated servicing and landscaping.
The land, off Tothill Street, had been mooted for use as an authorised Traveller site but this does not appear on the latest application to Thanet council.
The application document says: “The complementary nature of the proposed development and the attraction of a vehicle-based market means the development would not impact on the vitality or viability of the village shops and services.
“The development also offers local jobs to Minster residents without the need to commute to town centres and the proposed development would provide additional choice for those local people who use the Minster services.
“The site is a previously developed site that is physically and visually connected to the existing service centre and separated from surrounding countryside, it has been the subject of anti-social uses in the past and needs to be put to beneficial use now that its original purpose as a lorry park overflow for port Ramsgate no longer exists.”
The design includes the living ‘garden’ roof and ‘substantial planting.’
The newest application has been made after a scheme redesign and reduction in both footprint and height following pre-application advice.
A decision by planning officers is yet to be made. The application can be found on the Thanet council planning portal ref .F/TH/19/1548
Joseph Jones of the Gypsy Council has been asked for comment regarding the non-inclusion of the Traveller site in the application.