A FAST-FOOD chain has addressed their long-running plans to create a new drive-through branch.

The move from McDonald's comes after little progress was made on the site of their planned restaurant.

The outlet will be based within the former J & W Watt goods yard next to the railway line just off London Road in Carlisle.

Last year, McDonald's said work to build the drive-through was progressing, but added they were still looking into how it would protect a Grade-II listed building on the site.

The company won planning permission in 2018 to build its third outlet in the city.

However, plans hit a stumbling block after it was revealed that the chain would need to carry out works on a dilapidated building on the brownfield site, previously used as part of the goods yard.

As a condition of the development being allowed to go ahead, Carlisle City Council ruled that McDonald's will have complete work on the building to make it secure.

A McDonald’s spokesman told the News & Star: “We are still committed to opening a new drive thru restaurant in Carlisle and have been working behind the scenes to make progress since we were granted planning permission.

"Work to restore the existing listed building on site is underway and, once that is completed, we will be able to begin construction works for the new restaurant.

"We would like to thank our customers in Carlisle for their patience and look forward to opening the new restaurant as soon as possible.”

A date as to when building will commence on the city site has yet to be confirmed.

Currently, McDonald's already has two outlets in Carlisle, one in Scotch Street and a drive-thru in Kingstown.

The chain had hoped their new restaurant would be the city's first 24-hour premises but following objections from the police and local residents city councillors ruled it should have shorter opening hours.

When it goes ahead the site will be open between 6am and 11pm.

Plans indicate it will be able to accommodate 160 customers.

Cumbria Police feared the 24-hour proposal would lead to a rise in crime and, in particular, boy racers. Further conditions were therefore added onto the development by the council which will ban access to the car park outside of trading hours.

A McDonald's spokesman previously said they wanted their new site - which is due to create about 45 equivalent full time jobs - up and running as soon as possible.

Once the new outlet opens, it will join two further drive-through stores which opened nearby to London Road within the last year.

In May, KFC returned to the city in place of a former service station, while Costa Coffee opened near B&Q.