A town’s fourth Costa Coffee is set to open later this year on the site of an abandoned workshop.

The shop will be built in Snargate Street, just off the A20, after plans were approved by Dover District Council (DDC) last year.

Bosses at the national chain have confirmed it will be serving customers food and drink at the end of this year.

It comes as new CGIs have been released, which show how the proposed drive-thru will look once the work has been completed.

As well as the building, the disused land – opposite the marina – will accommodate a car park fitted with electric charging points.

Planning documents, submitted in June last year, state: “The new building will be sited within the footprint of the old warehouse with customer parking to the north and the drive-thru loop circumventing the building.”

The site is approximately 0.5 acres in size and is home to an ageing, late 20th century employment unit that has been left in a “relatively dilapidated state”.

The land is located within walking distance from the town centre and the St James retail park.

The retail park is already home to two Costas – one standalone cafe and one inside the Next store.

A third Costa can be found in the middle of the town, in Biggin Street, while the BP petrol station in nearby Limekiln Street also serves the brand’s coffee.

In a statement, a spokesman for the chain said: “We are thrilled to be opening a new drive-thru store on Snargate Street, Dover, and look forward to welcoming customers and the local community at the store towards the end of this year.”

However, Robin Burkhardt, who owns The Old Curiosity Shop in Snargate Street, believes opening a new shop is a “brave decision”.

He said: "They should change the name of the town to Costa Dover!

“I don't know how it's going to work.

“The port is going to close Dover in October when the biometric testing comes in so how is anyone going to get to their coffee shop?

“The A20 will be completely gridlocked so no one is going to be able to get in there.”

The new biometric controls, known as the Entry Exit Scheme (EES), will mean people going into the EU will have to register their fingerprints and a photograph alongside their passport.

But despite his concerns, Mr Burkhardt hopes the new Costa will help bring people into his “quiet street”.

“If this is going to bring people into Snargate Street then that would be great,” he added.

“No one really ventures down here so if this could help put the street on the map then hopefully it could help my business.

“But I really think this new testing is going to kill Dover. I think this is a very brave decision from Costa.”

The new shop is anticipated to open between 5am and 11pm, seven days a week.

It is unknown when demolition of the workshop will start.