Work on cafe to start by next year

THE developer behind a drivethrough coffee shop as part of a $4m Toowoomba food precinct hopes to have construction started by next year.

Campbell Knox received approval last week from the Toowoomba council for a new food and drink outlet on the corner of Anzac Ave and Devine Street in Harristown.

The new venue is the second stage of a precinct that already has a finished and nowopened Oporto drive-through restaurant.

Mr Knox, who was thrilled by the approval at a special meeting on Wednesday, said the next steps revolved around securing operational works to start construction.

“There’s still a fair bit to get through with the operational works but mid-next year I’d like (to have construction start),” he said.

The plans submitted to council suggested the cafe could be a Stellarossa, but Mr Knox said several franchises were lining to occupy the space.

“It may or may not be, (but) it will be coffee,” he said.

“I’ve got plenty of interest from other coffee operators, and now we’ve got the approval we can get that sorted.”

The project started life more than four years ago as a five-tenancy “Eat Street” development that was approved by the council in 2020 before being scaled back.

Precinct Urban Planning’s Andrew Bullen, who worked with the developer on the proposal, said the new plan was less intense than the previous iteration and more sensitive to neighbouring properties.

“It’s a less intense use but I’d also say that by having those lesser buildings it was much better separation,” he said.

“The drive throughs can be the things that cause problems, but it’s a reduced size and they have been moved to front Anzac Ave. The overall site is smaller too, because the lot at the back is not included.”