The former Costa Coffee shop at 24 Promenade in Cheltenham, which closed its doors three years ago after 14 years of operation, is poised for a new lease on life as a shop specializing in hand-crafted chocolate drinks. A planning application has been submitted to Cheltenham Borough Council for the opening of a Knoops outlet, a chain that originated in Rye, East Sussex in 2013. This transformation represents a shift from the building’s previous avatars as a pub to a coffee shop and now potentially a chocolate drink establishment.
Knoops stores have a consistent design language, featuring shopfronts adorned in signal black. Given the prior use of the ground floor as a café, minimal alterations are needed for the proposed new use.
The Grade-II listed building was part of a combined £7.5m portfolio of retail and leisure properties put up for sale last year. Situated in the town’s Conservation Area, the 19th Century Regency style building holds historical significance.
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The Knoops application encompasses plans for the ground and basement floors, with no proposed works for the basement due to access limitations. It is anticipated that the store will accommodate 26 customers and employ five staff members.
The application states, “24 Promenade is of high architectural interest as a part of the adjoining listed terrace which positively contributes to the Cheltenham central conservation area. The proposals will have no impact upon the historic fabric of the building, neither internally or externally, and will bring the ground floor retail unit into active continuous use, ensuring the ongoing maintenance of the building.”
Knoops' website details its concept, emphasizing personalized chocolate drinks through a carefully curated percentage menu. Customers are invited to engage in “Knoopology,” a process of customizing their chocolate drink by selecting the chocolate percentage, milk, and additional flavors such as sea salt, orange zest, or chilli to create a hot chocolate, milkshake, or iced chocolate.