Hair and beauty salon to open in Siesta Coffee drive-thru

Coffee chain Siesta Coffee won permission in May 2020 to open a drive-thru outlet a former bank building in Peterlee’s North West Industrial Estate.

The site, near the roundabout linking Cook Way and Shotton Road, was formerly home to a branch of Barclays.

As part of a bid to ‘diversify’ the coffee shop, new plans were recently submitted to use part of the internal space as a hair and beauty salon.

This included proposals to convert two small rooms on the site into a salon and a treatment room.

Following consultation, Durham County Council’s planning department approved the application for the Peterlee site on January 28, 2021.

A council decision report stated that adding a hair and beauty salon to the coffee shop would “increase the flexibility of the business by encouraging customers to use both service offers.”

It goes on to say: “The proposed use is intended to encourage customers to use both the coffee shop and the hair and beauty salon when visiting the premises.

“Therefore, this out of town location is considered to be acceptable in line with the sequential information provided at the time of processing the application for the coffee shop.

“Given that the premises already has consent for a non-industrial use, the addition of a hair and beauty salon to this is not considered to harm the employment strategy being pursued.“

The coffee shop and hair and beauty salon will share facilities and operate under the same hours.

A supporting statement from the applicant, submitted to council planners, also explains the reasons behind the application.

It reads: “Siesta Coffee was established in 2016 and following success in its primary sites it is [hoping] to increase its presence in the marketplace.

“This competitive market means that businesses need to explore opportunities to remain sustainable and diversification is one element to this.

“The change of use application for part of the Siesta Coffee unit at 1 Stirling Close, Peterlee has been developed following the successful incorporation of a hair and beauty salon within the business’s unit in Newton Aycliffe.

“The premise is that patrons from one business will also use the other, they are connected via an internal door to encourage the cross spend and thus improving the sustainability of both businesses.

“This is particularly important when viewed with the economic challenges facing businesses due to [Covid-19] and the Brexit transition.”

Plans for the Peterlee coffee shop site must be brought forward within the next three years.

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