Chick-fil-A could open its first Greater Manchester restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne, with plans submitted to convert the former Pizza Hut in Snipe Retail Park into a drive-thru. The site has been empty for more than a year.
Former Pizza Hut site to be redeveloped
The vacant restaurant, which closed in October 2025, is earmarked for partial demolition and refurbishment to create a two-lane drive-thru. The developer, CBRE Investment Management, which manages the Hampshire County Council Pension Fund, intends to lease the site to Chick-fil-A once the work is complete.
Chick-fil-A is an American fast-food chain specialising in fried chicken sandwiches and other chicken-based meals. If approved, it would be the first Chick-fil-A restaurant in Greater Manchester. Its other UK locations include London, Leeds and Liverpool, as well as two in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Plans include drive-thru and parking changes
The redevelopment would involve removing part of the existing building and some surrounding car park to accommodate the extension and the drive-thru. This would result in the loss of 53 standard parking spaces, leaving 47 car parking spaces overall.
Access to the new restaurant would be through the car park of Snipe Retail Park, off Manchester Road. The site has operated as a fast-food restaurant since 1995, opening as a McDonald's before becoming a Pizza Hut, which it remained until 2025.
Investment and jobs planned
Developers say the opening of the Chick-fil-A would represent an investment in an empty property and create part-time and full-time jobs.
Planning papers state: "The proposed development will bring a vacant restaurant unit back into active use through its refurbishment, extension and conversion to a modern drive-through restaurant."
