A NEW Starbucks could open in Greenock as part of a near-£5m development proposed along the main road corridor.

The company LGO4 Ltd have unveiled designs for a £1.7m drive-through coffee shop and a £3m office building which could house 100 workers.

The proposal is for vacant land at Cartsdyke Avenue just off the A8.

Planning papers lodged with the council say: 'The coffee shop will be occupied and operated by Starbucks and this will employ approximately 20 to 30 staff, with approximately 50 per cent to be full-time.

'Both proposed buildings are of bespoke design with glazing and external wall finishes appropriate to the prevailing character of the area.'

This is not the first time planning permission has been sought for the site, adjacent to the RBS Mortgage Centre.

Back in December 2017 the council rejected an application for a coffee shop, saying it would contravene the Local Development Plan, which says the site is intended for only certain business and industrial uses.

Starbucks said at the time they were 'disappointed' as the development could have been a catalyst for wider investment and breathe new life back into an empty brownfield area of land that had been vacant for a considerable period.

They said back then that the land had been marketed 'by multiple parties over a period of at least five years...but with no interest and/or offers being received for these uses'.

Now those behind the new bid hope that the council will give the go-ahead.

Their application states: 'The office development aligns with adjacent uses and the development of a coffee shop in this location will introduce an attractive modern facility that will support both existing and future businesses, as well as tourists and local residents, by providing a comfortable and accessible meeting space with wifi connections.'

The drive-thru would be open 6am-10pm all week and four electric car charging spaces are proposed.

The developers plan to keep most of the mature trees on the site and carry out landscaping.

This is the second application for a coffee shop along this part of the A8.

Businessmen Sandy and James Easdale last year unveiled a £1.5m bid for a drive-through, with 50 new jobs created, opposite the EE call centre.

A decision is still awaited from the council on that application.