A new coffee shop could be built inside the Co-op in Balsall Common, with renovation plans submitted to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

If approved, the scheme would see a new entrance built onto Kenilworth Road for the café, with the shop losing some of its floor space to the new venture.

The coffee shop would also be accessed from inside the Co-op and a new outdoor seating area would be built.

The application also shows that there would be a small extension near the current entrance, to provide storage space and a new "horticultural retail area".

This would mean the disabled parking spaces at the Kenilworth Road store would have to be moved, but only one space would actually be lost from the car park.

Submitted in June, the plans state that the coffee shop would be part of the Bewiched Coffee chain which already has 13 stores, mainly in Northamptonshire.

Heart of England Co-op revealed in April that a deal with Bewiched would see 15 new coffee shops open across its stores, with Balsall Common chosen as the flagship location.

Steve Browne, general manager of the society's food division, which runs 36 food stores, said the new partnership is part of the society's strategy to diversify.

He said: "Our partnership with Bewiched Coffee brings a wealth of exciting opportunities for both of our businesses and for our customers.

"Bewiched is a local company with values similar to those of our society, and when we met it was clear we were in synergy, sharing the same values and principles and indeed the same vision for this project."

Bewiched Coffee was launched by Matt Fountain in 2010.

A statement on the company's website says: "The systems and processes we have in place are world leading, in fact we are very confident they eclipse the multi-nationals. 

"Our training, coaching & recognition is industry leading."

It added: "Our brand is synonymous with authentic values, put simply, we are here to provide better service, better coffee & better food, than the generic brands."

Balsall Parish Council said it supports the plans, but said an extra bathroom should be included in the design.

The plans can be viewed here.

(Header image via P.L Chadwick via geograph.org.uk)