The company is also awaiting a decision on another kiosk in Cork city
13:41, 15 Aug 2026Updated 13:42, 15 Aug 2026
Boxd in Midleton(Image: Boxd)
A Cork coffee chain has been denied in its retention application for a drive-thru in Midleton that had been operating without planning permission.
Boxd Coffee closed the East Cork kiosk in June after a planning enforcement order was issued by Cork County Council concerning the unauthorised use of the site. The drive-thru opened in January, and owners had hoped to reopen after resolving what they described as a ‘planning concern’ with the council.
In the days following the closure, CC & H Imperial Ltd, the company behind the popular coffee chain, submitted an application for retention. It sought permission to retain the modified shipping containers that housed the coffee kiosk, staff parking, internal roadways, signage, and all other associated site works.
A number of observations were submitted expressing support for the application, with some from other business owners in Cork asking the council to look favourably upon it.
These observations highlighted the business’s contributions to youth employment in the area and to the local economy, with some citing their own commercial relationships with Boxd as evidence of these contributions.
However, these observations were not enough to sway the council, which denied the company’s application to continue operating at the site.
The planning department said that the development would ‘constitute an inappropriate departure from the core zoning objective of the area’ under the Cork County Development Plan.
Council planners also raised concerns about the traffic impact of the proposed development, stating that it would result in traffic queues forming along the Midleton Northern Relief Road.
While a traffic assessment was submitted as part of the application, the council said the development would be ‘likely to impact the enduring function of the relief road as an essential transport corridor’ in the face of existing and planned future developments.
Planners said that traffic from the development could endanger public safety by disrupting the free flow of vehicles along the road and obstructing other motorists.
The applicants will now need to submit an appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála should they wish to take it further.
The company is currently awaiting a decision from Cork City Council after applying to retain a second coffee kiosk on Carrigrohane Road. The city council is due to make a decision on it by August 25.