PLANS to bring a grilled chicken franchise to a Rhyl retail park have been held up by rising costs, the applicant has said.

“Pepe’s Piri Piri”, with has more than 150 stores in the UK, hopes to move into unit four of Marina Quay Retail Park, after Denbighshire County Council approved its application in the summer.

The restaurant will feature up to 30 seats for diners and will create up to 16 job opportunities.

Involved in the application is Nuruj Chowdhury, born in Bangor and based in Colwyn Bay, working as a structural design engineer in aerospace.

READ MORE:

Plans submitted to bring grilled chicken franchise to Rhyl retail park

Though Mr Chowdhury still wishes to pursue the development, he said issues with the site and finances are proving stumbling blocks.

He said: “I am still interested to invest in Denbighshire, however I’m faced with a few issues with the site and also with the extortionate energy prices, which put the business plan at risk.

“I have some decisions to make soon. It’s a difficult time for new businesses, with the current energy market and cost of living crisis.

“I think some support is needed from government and local councils to assist new businesses, which would help the economy grow.

“If I can source additional funding to support the project and increasing costs, I would be looking to open by March next year.”

Marina Quay is currently home to retail units including a 18,651 sq ft Aldi store, B&M, The Range, Costa Coffee and Greggs.

The retail park, which was built in 2017 and comprises more than 105,000 sq ft of prime retail warehouse units, was sold in a deal worth more than £17million to an investor from the Isle of Man in late 2021.