Costa application approved

COFFEE shop Costa Coffee's retrospective application for a licence to sell food and drink at its Epping premises has been endorsed by the town council.

The coffee shop has been open at 189 High Street for over four months, but is still without planning permission to sell food and drink.

The town council's planning committee's views will be considered by Epping Forest District Council when it decides whether or not to grant the application.

Town council planning committee chairman Olive Dunsheath said: "We couldn't really object, but we did draw attention to the fact that far too many things were being done first and asked for afterwards. It's not the way the planning system should work.

"We were worried about losing a retail unit, but as the application is for retail as well as food and drink, we couldn't object."