Burger King looks set to be the first fast-food chain with a branch in Skipton.

If granted planning permission, the fast-food giant will be opening a combined burger bar/takeaway on the same site as the Travelodge and Little Chef on the outskirts of the town.

Plans to extend the Little Chef restaurant, situated on the A65/A59 roundabout on the Skipton bypass, have been submitted to Craven District Council's planning committee and are recommended for approval.

Travelodge and Little Chef have already started advertising for shift managers for the planned Burger King franchise.

The development would mean the loss of five spaces in the existing car park, but there are additional plans set out for a proposed extension to the car park creating nine more spaces.

In February this year, it was revealed that McDonald's was also looking to build a drive-through restaurant near the town, but had not found a suitable site.

A spokesman for Burger King said: "Our Little Chef franchise has put in an application for a combination site and we are more than happy to open a site there. If we are the first fast-food restaurant in Skipton, providing a service unavailable to local residents, then that's great. We will be creating jobs and best of all beating our main rivals."

A Little Chef spokeswoman added: "We have been doing very well and can see an opportunity to build. It's very positive for us and for Skipton. We are taking it very seriously. It is a significant development for us but we have to wait for planning permission to be granted before we give any more details."

A planning officer said: "As regards highway matters, the county highway authority have indicated that the additional on-site car parking is sufficient to cater for the proposed development, and there are no objections to the proposal from the Highways Agency."

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