Plans submitted for Burger King drive-through at Centrepoint Retail Park, Aberdeen
Urban Edge Architecture has won planning permission for a new 1,800 sq ft Burger King drive-through unit and reconfiguration of the surrounding car park at the popular Centrepoint Retail Park in Aberdeen (reported here, thanks to SMPR, in Retail Times). Recognised as one of the UK’s out-of-town retail specialists, Urban Edge was appointed by RPMI as architect on the £800,000 project to take the scheme from feasibility to planning and onwards to delivery and completion.
Ian Townsend, Urban Edge Associate explains: “Many retail park owners are now looking to diversify the range of attractions on their retail parks and drive-through F&B retail is a very popular option. The addition of another well-known brand to Centrepoint Retail Park will support the park’s continued viability as a retail and leisure destination and expand employment opportunities for local people during and after completion.”
The appearance and layout of the proposed Burger King drive-through unit has been designed to reflect the brand’s identity and requirements. The exterior mixes cream composite panels that sit on a red brick plinth with timber effect panels that highlight the drive-through windows, as well as providing a background for the operator’s intended signage. Floor-to-ceiling aluminium glazing in the public-facing restaurant provides light and views both into and out of the unit.
“This scheme is the latest in a series of similar schemes for well-known F&B retailers. The strong relationships we have forged over the years with all the major F&B operators has given us a deep understanding of their specification and brand requirements and means we can be incredibly efficient in how we deliver their schemes on sometimes challenging sites,” says Ian.
The site layout has been carefully designed with particular consideration given to ensure that any potential queues are contained within the retail park. The proposals have also been carefully planned to ensure that the development does not compromise Aberdeen City Council’s Berryden Corridor Improvement Scheme. As part of the design, hard landscape elements are to be softened with planted borders containing eight species of flowering shrubs, which will improve the biodiversity on the urban site, supporting local wildlife, in particular bee and bird populations.
A planning decision was reached in August 2021, as reported in the pages of Scottish Construction News and Aberdeen Business News, with work planned to start at the end of November with an estimated completion date of April 2022.