PLANS to bring a major coffee and food chain to Barrow have been withdrawn.

Canadian chain Tim Hortons have withdrawn its proposal to open a branch in Barrow after previously submitting plans for a new site in June.

The multinational fast food company is known for its fresh coffee and baked goods including doughnuts and already has nearly 5,000 outlets worldwide across 14 countries.

The chain was due to open a coffee shop and drive-thru in place of the former Pizza Hut restaurant in Hollywood Retail Park, which closed its doors in September after 22 years of trading.

The move meant that 20 Pizza Hut staff members were made redundant, some of whom had worked in the restaurant for over 20 years.

According to the original statement submitted alongside the plans for the new Tim Hortons branch, the chain promised to provide ‘much-needed’ employment opportunities during the construction phase and upon occupation of the unit.

It states: "The proposal will facilitate the re-occupation of a vacant unit and bring about much needed employment opportunities during the construction phase and upon occupation of the unit by Tim Hortons."

The proposal also revealed plans to install a drive-thru lane and alterations to the site if permission was granted.

The number of parking spaces at the restaurant site would also have been reduced from 20 to 16.

It is unclear in the plans why the coffee and baked goods chain withdrew plans six months since they were first put forward to Barrow Borough Council.

The Mail attempted to reach Tim Hortons for a comment about why the chain had decided to withdraw their plans, however, they were unable to receive a response before this edition went to print.

The first UK Tim Hortons opened in 2017 and there are now 28 outlets with eight more 'coming soon', according to the company's website.

It is Canada's largest quick-service restaurant chain, with 4,846 restaurants in 14 countries as of December 31, 2018.