The dream of a KFC at Bulli may finally be over.
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Way back in 2016, plans were lodged with Wollongong City Council for a KFC store on a vacant patch of land at the Bulli Woolworths site on the Princes Highway.
Complete with an eight-metre high KFC bucket on a stick announcing the colonel's presence.
Some in the suburb were all for it, others deadset against it. Rival groups were launched on Facebook, one called "No to KFC in Bulli", the other tagged "Yes to KFC in Bulli".
But the council wasn't in favour - knocking back the development application in mid-2017.
"The proposal fails to demonstrate the likely impacts of the development will not be adverse," the council refusal said.
But the dream continued on. In social media posts and Facebook pages people kept sharing - or starting - rumours that KFC was coming.
In 2020, a car park upgrade left a grassed patch, which people swore was being held in waiting for KFC to get its ducks in a row.
Now, plans are with the council for the development of that patch of grass - and a chicken restaurant is nowhere to be seen.
The plan is to turn that patch - identified in the application as Lot 2 - into an extra 29 parking spaces, increasing the total number of spaces to 233.
Shade sails will be installed on the first most northern row of parking - those that run along the entrance off the Organs Road intersection.
"The works seek to expand the northern extent of the existing car park to include the smaller Lot 2 and link the lot with the internal road network," the development application stated.
"The revised parking layout to the northwestern corner of the car park will provide two-way flow and additional parking spaces."
Two car parking spots to the east of the proposed works will be removed to allow for an extension of the existing internal pedestrian walkways.
Measures will also be included to deal with the risk of flooding to the car park site.
"During the 2020 supermarket car park extension a flood culvert was constructed under the site running along the northern boundary of the site," the application stated.
"This culvert was installed to improve the overland flow for the site, which alleviated some flooding concerns. Civil works proposed as part of the development seek the additional development of stormwater inlets and pipes which is understood to assist in mitigating impacts of flooding on site."
The development application is on public exhibition until April 30.