Burger King set to open new branch in Pembrokeshire town centre

Pembrokeshire’s county town could soon be home to ‘The Whopper’ with plans for a Burger King fast food restaurant in Haverfordwest submitted.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, St Albans-based Motor Fuel Group, through agent CarneySweeney, seeks permission for works at Morrisons Petrol Filling Station, Bridge Meadow Lane, Haverfordwest.

The application includes the demolition of the existing jet wash and bin store and extension to the existing petrol filling station’s sales building (to include a Burger King hot food takeaway), installation of kitchen extraction equipment, new bin store and associated forecourt works.

A supporting statement accompanying the application says: “This application specifically seeks consent to allow for the erection of a larger extended sales building to be occupied by Burger King.

“It is anticipated that the Burger King will cater predominantly for motorists who wish to purchase food ‘on-the-go’ but it will also include an indoor seating area, giving customers the opportunity to consume their purchased goods on the premises.”

It adds: “MFG is the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator with over 900 sites offering a dual-fuel strategy, convenient retail and ‘food to go’. As part of MFG’s proposals to improve facilities across their portfolio of Morrison petrol filling stations they are also taking the opportunity to extend the existing kiosk/shop, to provide an improved offer i.e. food to go services to visiting motorists.

“Given the scale and nature of the proposal, it is not considered that the development would adversely affect the vitality or viability of the town centre. Instead, the introduction of a national food retailer in this location is likely to complement existing town centre uses, potentially increasing linked trips and overall footfall.”

It goes on to say: “It is also important to recognise the almost unique nature of the retail/food offer proposed, which is geared towards meeting the needs of the travelling public. Users of the PFS are almost exclusively private vehicle borne and their location on main roads means that visitors are typically leisure travellers or commuters who rely on the facilities for refreshment purposes sometimes as part of a long journey. Visits to PFS are therefore made out of necessity for fuel and sustenance rather than out of a specific desire to visit the facility as a ‘destination’.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

There are some 500-odd Burger Kings, famed for The Whopper burger, across the UK, the chain actively expanding.

The only Burger King in Pembrokeshire is located at Kiln Park Holiday Park in Tenby, the next nearest at Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire.

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