Fans of finger lickin’ chicken will be pleased after construction started on a KFC drive-through at Chester’s Greyhound Retail Park.

Park owners Standard Life UK Retail Park Trust Ltd gained consent for the 278 sq metres unit last November.

Workers at the site expect the 16-week build to be completed by early August.

The KFC website reveals Stuart Gall, who already runs the Chester city centre outlet in Foregate Street, has the contract to run the new out-of-town franchise.

The latest unit will front Sealand Road on what was part of the car park serving Next and the disused exterior of a former garden centre.

News of KFC’s expected arrival sparked a mixed-response on the Chronicle Facebook page last summer.

Love it or hate it?

Karl Cleveley wrote: ‘We need a proper large store in the city.’

Fellow supporter Stefan ‘stickel’ Evans said: ‘Just what Chester need finger licking good chicken!! Best be 24/7 I will get a taxi there after a night out no issues haha.’

But G David Boyd disagreed. ‘With your new drive-thru service you will see a significant increase in road side KFC rubbish. Lazy people buying and eating convenience food often are too lazy to put rubbish into a bin,” he posted.

During the planning application process, a few residents raised concerns about the risk of increased traffic, noise, smells, litter and anti-social behaviour. However, conditions include the restaurant being closed overnight, with opening hours limited to 7am-11pm week days and 8am-11pm at weekends.

Planning officer Bethan Evans said supporting papers demonstrated suitable noise levels from extraction equipment could be achieved and that odour could be controlled. The council’s highways department believes the eaterie “would not result in a severe impact”.

The victorious applicants said the new ‘pod’ would improve the presence of the retail park from Sealand Road and provide ‘another drive-thru’ restaurant – existing outlets are McDonald’s and Costa.

They added: ‘The proposal will create additional investment and job creation within the retail park and will provide additional choice in terms of food and drink for users of the retail park.’

A KFC spokesperson said previously: ‘We’d love to open a restaurant in Chester to satisfy demand from our fans in the area.’