KFC on Bagshot Road has applied to extend its drive‑thru opening until 2am, changing the planning conditions it accepted when it built the two‑storey restaurant and takeaway.
Council planners say they are prepared to recommend approval — but want KFC to produce a car‑park management plan and fit darkened glass on first‑floor windows facing south before permission is granted.
The restaurant currently opens from 7am to 11pm. By day it is easily reached on foot or by bike from the west of Bagshot Road and from the east via a subway from Nightingale Crescent, Hunter Way and Elizabeth Close in Harmans Water. At night, and by car, access is effectively one‑way: only northbound traffic from Birch Hill and the Sports Centre can reach it easily, with southbound drivers forced into a large loop.
Seven letters of objection were received. Some residents fear the move could be a first step towards eventual 24‑hour opening. One resident said that the KFC planning statement was inconsistent considering that access to the site is one‑way northbound.
Local families said cooking odours regularly enter homes and gardens, light pollution from signage and vehicle headlights affects bedrooms, and vans and mopeds already pass late at night to pick up delivery orders.
Bracknell Town Council (BTC) asked for the application to be refused, noting the restaurant already opens for 13 hours a day, seven days a week. BTC said later opening would harm nearby residents, particularly families with children, and cause disturbance from the high number of vehicles collecting meals. The town council called operation until 2am unreasonable in a 'residential' area, even though the restaurant sits on a dual carriageway next to a sports centre and a petrol station that opens late; the nearest house is about 30m away.
The borough council has recommended approval despite the objections, subject to the dark glass and car‑park plan. The final decision will be made at a planning meeting on Thursday, March 19.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
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