Costa coffee shop plan at Shrewsbury Railway Station

The information office is the planned location. But the scheme, put forward by Caterleisure Group, could hit the buffers if the town's civic society and local objectors get their way.

The plan is to transform the information centre into a coffee house with an outdoor seating area. But opponents said the plans will alter the facade of the Victorian station and lead to problems with people waiting for trains or collecting passengers.

They also said that the station already has a Starbucks coffee shop on the main concourse area and another is superfluous.

Plans have been submitted to Shropshire Council's planning committee and will be discussed at a date to be set.

On Shropshire Council's planning portal, objector Hugh Cutler said: "The station already has a coffee shop on the main platform area. The information point is extremely useful for accessing information, planning journeys and the purchase of rail cards and more complex purchasing of advanced tickets. When there are numbers of passengers waiting to buy tickets this closure would be detrimental to the efficient operation of the station. This is simply Network Rail putting profit before serving the public."

Nigel Bevan added: "I know there are other alternatives for the quick ticket option, such as the ticket vending machines and gate staff if they are no too busy, but queuing is still the norm for a lot of people especially the uninformed and customers that are used to the traditional method of ticket purchase.

"There is a cafe on the platform, a coffee shop just off the station forecourt, a coffee shop pretty much opposite. Do we really need another one?"

Another objector, Lynn Gore, wrote: "The information centre based in the building sited in the application is very much used and required by all people.

"The building itself is very old and listed and loved. It must also be noted that the actual frontage of the station is frequently congested with passengers waiting to be collected.

"The small concourse is very congested when football fans arrive and depart and they are often very noisy and can be intimidating to those awaiting to be seen especially the vulnerable and disabled."

Mike Carter from Shrewsbury Civic Society said: "The Civic Society regrets the loss of an information centre, thinks that use of that space is acceptable but objects to any use of the outside frontage for signs and space for seating."

A spokesman for Arriva Trains Wales, which operates the station, said: "A planning application has been submitted for a new coffee shop in the foyer of Shrewsbury station by a coffeehouse company. If the plans are approved, then the travel centre along with its staff will relocate elsewhere in the station and continue to provide the same valued service to our customers."