IT looks like the wait for Pembrokeshire fried chicken lovers will soon be over, following council approval for for a new restaurant, believed to be a KFC.

Lovers of the Colonel’s unique blend of herbs and spices should soon be able to get their chicken fix in Pembroke Dock, rather than making the poultry pilgrimage all the way to Carmarthen.

Pembrokeshire planners recently approved an application for a drive-thru restaurant at the former school house, and former training centre, on Pembroke Dock’s London Road.

The application for a 24-hour restaurant, with 33 car parking spaces, is made by the Blackburn-based EG Group, and promises to create up to 30 jobs.

The existing building will be demolished.

In March of last year, the EG Group, founded as Euro-Garages in 2001, became KFC’s largest franchisee in Europe, with the acquisition of 145 KFC outlets in the UK and Ireland.

While no mention of KFC is made on the planning application for the site, opposite the existing Tesco store, managerial positions for the Pembroke Dock KFC site are already being advertised through the EG Group’s website.

The application was conditionally approved by county planners, despite not being supported by Pembroke Dock Town Council, which stated it could not support this application due to no traffic management plan being put in place.

Three letters, objecting to the development were received by planners raising concerns including claimed inaccuracies in the supporting statement about the location of the proposed development, no access statement or traffic management proposal, traffic impacts, a lack of details about the occupant, fears of low wage levels at the development, litter, and the demolition of the existing building.

Outline planning permission for the demolition of existing building was originally approved in December 2016.

A report for planners stated:

“The proposal would result in the delivery of new food and drink retail development that would have positive economic and social impacts through the provision of a new facility.

“In addition there would be no adverse environmental impacts due to construction to improved environmental standards and the site’s sustainable location.

“Given the length of time the training centre has been vacant (in excess of five years) and the subsequent retail planning permission the loss of this facility has previously been established.

“The proposed development is located within Pembroke Dock, and due to the fact there are no existing facilities with drive thru within the town centre, the direct impact is likely to be limited and therefore the proposed use would not impact negatively on the vitality and viability of any town or local retail centre.”

Haverfordwest and Pembroke are two areas the fast-food giant has previously listed as targets for expansion.

A spokesman for KFC previously said these were target locations and it was not a guarantee.

They said: “We always have a list of areas where we’re on the lookout for new restaurants.

"We know there’s loads of chicken lovers out there waiting patiently for the Colonel to arrive in their town so watch this space.”