Ghost Burger King on Welsh roundabout finally opens doors

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter 

A new Burger King located just outside of Bridgend town centre has finally opened almost a year after it was first built.

The drive-through restaurant based in the Wickes car park off the A48 Picton Court roundabout opened its doors for the first time in November of 2025 after a number of issues which surrounded its development since it was approved in 2023.

The saga started when Bridgend County Borough Council refused planning permission for the project due to what they said was a lack of capacity for the volume of traffic the restaurant would generate.

Additionally, they raised concerns that there was no pedestrian crossing at the nearby Picton Court roundabout that would allow for pedestrians to cross safely.

Despite the initial rejection however the fast food giants won the right to set up shop in the car park through a Welsh Government appeal, where the planning inspector dismissed the council’s objections saying they had failed to provide evidence to support their claims. 

The authority was also forced to pay costs to the applicant for this appeal, after it was deemed to have behaved “unreasonably” by the inspector.

It also meant a popular catering van, Meg’s Grill and Chill, who was already based on the site and known for creating monster sandwiches would have to move to a new location.

The two-storey Burger King was later built, though it remained vacant for almost a year with local councillors saying they had been “inundated” by residents who wanted to know what was happening.

In June a council spokesperson said the delay was down to minor points that needed to be resolved in order to make the facility compliant with its granted consent.

This included bringing in a stopping up order to divert highway rights, as part of the adopted highway is now occupied by the facility.

However, a spokesperson for Burger King has now confirmed that the site is open for business as of November 19, 2025.

In a statement they said: “Burger King UK can confirm that Wickes car park Restaurant became a new HOME OF THE WHOPPER on the 19th of November and is now open.”

While the opening draws the long-term saga to a close it has so far drawn a mixed response from residents online, with some seemingly excited and others who are fearful of potential impacts it could have on local traffic.