nandos has lodged a planning application with Portsmouth City Council to convert the former Bensons for Beds unit at the Pompey Centre into a chicken restaurant, including proposed shopfront signage. The application seeks permission to install two externally illuminated fascia signs, an internally illuminated menu board and the iconic Barci cockerel sign. If approved, the new unit would sit alongside existing fast food outlets at the retail centre near Fratton Park.
Nandos signage and fit-out details
The planning submission sets out specific external signage works for the former showroom unit. The documents list two externally illuminated fascia signs, one internally illuminated menu board and one internally illuminated Barci cockerel sign proposed for the shopfront. The application is recorded on Portsmouth City Council’s planning portal under reference number 26/00167/ADV.
Location and neighbours
The planned restaurant would occupy the former Bensons for Beds unit within the Pompey Centre on Fratton Way. The building is currently vacant and is shared with a KFC outlet; the retail centre already hosts other fast food operators including McDonald’s and KFC near Fratton Park. The submission notes the change of use and shopfront alterations needed to repurpose the former bed showroom into a restaurant unit.
Brand footprint and local context
nandos is identified in the submission materials as a fast food chicken restaurant known for its “Peri-Peri” style chicken. The background material attached to the planning documents states that the brand operates over 450 restaurants across the UK, with eight locations in Hampshire, including an outlet at Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays. The application files on the council portal show no recorded objections at the point when the documents were listed.
What happens next
Portsmouth City Council will assess the application under its normal planning procedures and determine whether the proposed signage and restaurant use are acceptable in this retail centre location. If permission is granted, the proposals would allow fit-out work and installation of the illuminated signage described in the submission. Local planners will use the application reference 26/00167/ADV when considering representations and issuing a decision.
Whether nandos secures approval will depend on the council’s assessment of the application documents and any planning considerations the authority identifies in its review.
