A new Chinese drive-thru restaurant looks set to open adjacent to the famous Centrepoint leisure complex in Lurgan.
Work is already underway on site, after planning approval was granted in October last year.
Originally, it had been expected that the development would take the form of an American diner.
But it is now understood that Lurgan’s newest drive thru will be for Chinese cuisine.
In addition, it is hoped that the work will be completed within the next couple of months.
When approval was granted last year, it saw the go-ahead for a “drive-thru restaurant” with floorspace of over 1,400 sq ft.
The majority of this was for seating and customer facilities, with the remainder being for kitchen, stores and staff uses.
A total of 18 car parking spaces were included, while the drive-thru element will take the form of ‘dual queue’ to achieve a required 15-car lane.
There were no objections to the proposals at the time ahead of planning approval being granted.
The planning official at the time found that the the drive-thru made for a “more attractive development than the existing vacant area” and would “prevent open views onto the side of the Centrepoint Leisure complex”.
And they added: “The primary access to the site is via the existing entrance road which serves the Centre Point Leisure Complex. The drive thru road layout wraps around the building with the order point kiosk on the rear elevation facing Portadown Road.
“The parking will be to the south-east of the building. The building to the ‘front’ of the site and the associated planting presents a positive introduction into the streetscape.
“The design has been developed to take into account the modern fast food restaurants, the use of generous expanse of glazing to principle elevations gives a strong connection between the outside and inside.
“The proposals have been carefully designed to respect the surrounding area, and providing the parking to the south of the site is geometric rows creates an active shop frontage and ensures interest and vitality in the street scene.
“New planting to the north side of the site will help to soften the building, access and car parking areas.”
To address any issues surrounding the potential for litter, a bin storage area is located to the rear.
Under the conferral of consent, a number of conditions were laid down, including one which restricts hours of business to between 7am and 11pm, seven days a week.
