THE opening of Wellington’s drive-thru KFC fried chicken restaurant has been delayed at the eleventh hour.

Fitting out work began in September in the restaurant on the Westpark business park, in Chelston, on the edge of the town, with a Halloween opening date announced.

But now, instead of Thursday (October 31), KFC expects it to open on Monday (November 4).

A spokeswoman for business park developers Summerfield Commercial, which built the restaurant, said: “We now understand there will be an official event to mark the opening on November 4.

“We expect an announcement to that effect shortly on behalf of KFC.”

The spokeswoman said Summerfield had delivered both the infrastructure and the car parking spaces for electric vehicle (EV) charging points which were required as part of the store’s planning permission.

She said Gridserve, which was the EV operator, was due to install the chargers shortly and Summerfield was keen to see the 12 spaces being used.

About 1,100 jobs have been created since 2009 on the 40-acre mixed use Westpark site, with the 21,500 sq ft KFC restaurant, which occupies the last A38-fronting plot, seeing another 30 created for the Wellington area.

A KFC spokeswoman said the Wellington site would be the first of several restaurant openings in the next few years across the Westcountry as the company strengthened its presence and offering in the region.

She said Westpark was strategically positioned close to the M5 motorway and the restaurant would sit alongside many thriving and diverse operators on the business park.