Neither National Highways nor the highways department of West Sussex County Council have raised any objections to the plans.

Downlands Road Retail Park is currently home to B&Q, Currys and Bensons for Beds and features a 396-space car park.

Under the plans, 26 of those spaces would go to make way for a coffee shop, a drive-through lane with access from the north-east, an outdoor seating area, two waiting bays for customers and landscaping within the existing car park.

If permission is granted, it is expected the development will create about 15 new jobs.

The proposed new building will feature vertical and diagonal timber cladding, while soft landscaping has been designed to replace the existing road surface and planting areas to enhance the appearance of the site. 

Although it is planned to remove 10 poorly-managed trees to accommodate the new building, they would be replaced with a number of larger, more prominent native trees such as field maple and hazel.

Worthing Borough Council planning committee will consider the plans at its meeting on 19 October.