Green light for plans to turn former Chesterfield Frankie & Benny's into north Derbyshire’s first Tim Hortons drive thru

Chesterfield Borough Council (CBC) has granted conditional approval for plans to transform the old Frankie & Benny's restaurant at the Alma Leisure Park, off Derby Road, Alma Leisure Park, off Derby Road, into a Tim Hortons drive thru.

The proposals were submitted in February this year, and CBC has now confirmed that the redevelopment of the vacant unit can proceed – subject to a series of conditions.

The development must begin before August 10 2026, and all lighting used on site must be designed to control any glare or overspill onto nearby properties.

The site must also be inspected for any contamination before work starts, and cycle parking has to be added before the unit opens for trade – and maintained for as long as it remains open.

The plans show that the proposed drive-thru lane is to be accessed from the existing car park area to the southwest of the building, with orders and payments to be made in this area. The application also includes plans for new signage for the business at the site.

Documents say the level of parking allocated to the unit will remain unchanged from the Frank & Benny’s unit, with the only change being the loss of three ‘pick-up’ spaces that will not be needed by Tim Hortons.

They add that sufficient queuing space will be provided within the drive-thru lane to accommodate demand and so ‘the proposal will not impact’ on the operation of the car park or road network.

Tim Hortons was founded in Ontario, Canada, in 1964. The company has thousands of stores across Canada and opened its first UK location back in 2017 – growing to more than 70 units nationwide.

This would be the first Tim Hortons store in north Derbyshire, with the closest trading outlets currently located in Mansfield, Derby and Sheffield.

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If permission is granted, Tim Hortons will be the latest new name at the site, after Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell moved onto the leisure park at the end of last year.