A ward councillor has hit out at fresh plans to build a fast food drive-thru on the outskirts of Colchester – branding them “grossly unfair”.
Fried chicken giant KFC submitted an application for a new restaurant next to the Premier Inn on Ipswich Road, close to the A12, last month.
This is the third time the chain has tried to build a drive-thru in this location – a previous attempt and appeal were thrown out by council planners in 2013.
Tendring Council leader Neil Stock, who represents the Ardleigh ward, said: “There are so many fast food outlets in and around that part of Colchester and it is grossly unfair for residents to have to suffer through this torture once again.
“This is clearly not the right location for a drive-thru, it is very inappropriate as it backs onto people’s gardens.
“It’s really close to a residential development – imagine if you were in your garden and had a very busy fast food restaurant next door.
“There have been two previous attempts to get this built and it is a consistent problem that just doesn’t seem to want to go away.
He added: “I’ll be continuing to fight this development as I’m sure residents will be too.”
Councillors refused the chicken chain’s first application in 2013 on the grounds that it was unsafe and inappropriate for the area.
One of the main reasons for the dismissal was that bosses feared the proposal would harm living conditions for people living in the Lion and Lamb cottage next door.
An appeal against the decision by the fast food giant was turned down later in the year.
However, this latest application ensures that parking is located away from nearby homes.
It also addresses access to the site – suggesting all routes to and from the restaurant will be clearly sign posted for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
If the application is successful, it will become the third KFC outlet in Colchester – the restaurant earmarked for the Stane Park development in Stanway is currently being built, and there is already a shop in the town centre.
The chain’s senior property acquisition manager William Barker said: “This planning application is still in its very early stages, but we’d like to reassure local residents that we’ve worked hard on the issues that led to the application being rejected last time.
“We always aim to have a positive effect on the communities we operate in, creating job opportunities for those in the local area and ensuring our restaurants are responsibly run, with team members conducting regular litter picks.
“Our restaurant on Ipswich Road will be no exception.”
The revised proposal will go before Tendring Council’s planning committee in due course.
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