The proposed Mary Brown's Chicken drive thru development site is located at Balmoral Plaza Retail Park on Boucher Road in southwest Belfast, approximately 2 km from the city centre. The site lies within a well-established commercial area that includes Boucher Retail Park, Shane Retail Park, and a variety of standalone retail, business, and industrial premises. It is directly accessible from Boucher Road and Apollo Road and is served by extensive on-site car parking facilities.

The retail park is currently occupied by several national and international brands, including:

• M&S Foodhall

• Home Bargains

• B&M Home Store

• Costa Coffee

• Tim Hortons

• Pets at Home

• Lakeland

• Harvey Norman

• Dominic Smith

Current Use of the Site

The site forms part of the car park area within Balmoral Plaza Retail Park and is not currently developed with a standalone building. The surrounding land use is predominantly commercial and retail in character. The specific plot identified for development lies just south of an existing Tim Hortons drive-thru restaurant.

Planning History

Full planning permission for the overall Balmoral Plaza Retail Park was initially granted in 2004. Subsequent planning approvals have included amendments to design layouts, changes to the range of goods permitted for sale, approval for cafes and drive-thru units, and the inclusion of mezzanine floors. A Certificate of Lawfulness has also been issued, confirming permitted uses for the retail sale of furniture and household goods.

Proposed Development

In April 2025, Corbo Holdings Ltd submitted a planning application (LA04/2025/0636/F) proposing the construction of a single-storey drive-thru restaurant to be operated by Mary Brown’s Chicken. The unit will comprise:

• A 232 sqm (2,500 sq ft) restaurant building

• An associated cold room and plant area

• External car parking and two dedicated disabled spaces

• Outdoor customer seating

• Ancillary site works including landscaping and refuse storage

The building will utilize a modern material palette, including Kingspan cladding, curtain wall glazing, Trespa cladding panels, and blue-black engineering brickwork. The design includes a dedicated drive-thru lane and a pickup window.