Taco Bell plans to build Whanganui store

The site on Victoria Ave where Restaurant Brands plans to build a new Taco Bell store. Photo / Bevan Conley

There are plans to fill a section in the middle of town that has sat empty for almost a decade with a well-known American fast-food restaurant.

Restaurant Brands, the company behind the Taco Bell franchise, has applied to the Whanganui District Council for consent to build one of its stores at 437 Victoria Ave on the old site of Caroline's Celtic that burned down in 2013.

The company sent its application for its drive-through restaurant as well as signs to the council in March.

The activity the company is applying to council to do includes carrying out earthworks within the drip line of a protected London plane tree, as well as removing a smaller nearby tree to give access for cars into the site.

"Restaurant Brands Limited seeks land-use consent to establish a Taco Bell 'drive-through restaurant' activity within a new building, and erect associated signage, on the site located at 437-441 Victoria Avenue, Whanganui," the application states.

The plan is to build a single-storey Taco Bell store that has nine queuing spaces in the drive-through as well as 51 restaurant seats inside.

There will also be an eight-metre high Taco Bell sign indicating the restaurant's presence on Victoria Ave.

According to realestate.co.nz the site at 437-441 Victoria Ave was sold in November 2020 for $770,000.

Ownership of the land is registered with a company called Kadman Properties Ltd with an address in Auckland.

A decision has not yet been made on the resource consent application.

The council is waiting for more information it has requested from the applicant.

Restaurant Brands, which also manages Pizza Hut, KFC and Carl's Jnr, has 10 Taco Bell stores around New Zealand.

In its annual report released at the end of March, Restaurant Brands said new KFC and Taco Bell stores would continue to 'drive sales and profit enhancement' both here and in Australia.

Restaurant Brands did not respond to requests for comment.