AI drive-through coffee shop approved

Plans for an artificial intelligence-powered coffee shop have been given conditional approval.

The Bocca Coffee drive-through in Spalding would use AI voice technology to take orders and it will also be used to provide suggestions about drinks to customers.

It would be built on vacant land off King's Road and the development would also feature electrical vehicle charging, a car wash and car parking.

South Holland District Council (SHDC) planning committee approved the plans, although one councillor raised concerns about the ability of local sewers to cope.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillor Sophie Hutchinson claimed that Anglian Water had lodged an objection to the plan.

She told the meeting that the utility firm had said they were "at capacity in a lot of their areas".

"If developments do keep connecting to their sewers, the people paying their water bills are going to have to pay more," she added.

Committee members heard that the application received 12 public objections, with many residents raising concerns about the noise and the loss of privacy in the area.

Councillor Paul Redgate backed the plans saying: "This is a really great use of what is a scrub site. It's a nice infill."

He was backed by fellow Conservative councillor Allan Beal who described it as a "very good use of a brownfield site".

The application was approved subject to conditions.

A spokesperson for Anglian Water said that although the company had no legal power to block an application "we do need to take into account the capacity we have available in growing areas."

They added: "In locations where additional connections would exceed existing capacity and be a risk to the environment, we may object or request that the local authority put a condition on the planning application to give us time to complete upgrades."

The BBC has contacted Bocca Coffee for comment.

Listen to highlights fromLincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch thelatest episode of Look North.

Download the BBC News app from the App Storefor iPhone and iPad orGoogle Play for Android devices