WHY did the chicken cross the road? Because KFC wanted to move its restaurant 70 metres to the other side of a roundabout having been asked to leave their current home.

This is the situation in the Lansdowne area of Bournemouth with the fast-food giant tabling plans to merge a courier service store and a pizza takeaway to create a new premises.

KFC has operated from its existing site on the ground floor of Royal London House for many years.

However, the Colonel’s recipe could soon be put into use in nearby Lansdowne Crescent through a redevelopment of the units currently occupied by Mail Boxes Etc and Centro Pizza.

A KFC spokesperson said: “The age-old question of how the chicken crossed the road has now been answered… KFC moved it.

“Our restaurant in Lansdowne Royal London House, Bournemouth, will be relocating just across the road to Lansdowne Crescent and the brand-new coop will be opening soon with all the same friendly faces as part of the team. We can’t wait to welcome you all down.”

Caskade Caterers Limited has submitted two separate planning applications with BCP Council in relation to the premises in Lansdowne Crescent.

One is seeking permission to make alterations and use the two ground floor units as one unit for a hot food takeaway, with new plant and extraction system and alterations to existing shopfronts.

The other is for advertising permission relating to the erection of internally illuminated fascia signage and two internally illuminated projecting signs.

A statement submitted on behalf of the applicants by Beamish Planning Consultancy said: “The background to this submission is that the freeholders have served notice upon the operators of the existing KFC premises at 3-5 Royal London House Lansdowne Roundabout, BH8 8AA (approximately 70 metres to the east of the application premises) requiring the KFC to vacate those premises by the end of 2022.”

This notice had been given so a major redevelopment of the upper floors at Royal London House could be carried out in line with a planning approval issued in July 2020.

As reported, developers are going to convert redundant Bournemouth University space in the building, which sits at the corner of Holdenhurst Road and Christchurch Road, into a shared office and accommodation for visitors.

Beamish Planning Consultancy’s statement said KFC want to remain in the Lansdowne area to continue to serve their “established customer base”.

It is expected the takeaway will be open from 10.30am to 11pm, employing 12 full-time staff and 13 part-time staff.

The proposals to bring about the move to Lansdowne Crescent are currently being considered by BCP Council’s planning department.