A strip of wasteland will be transformed into a trade park featuring a branch of American fast-food giant Taco Bell in nine months’ time, developers say.

They expect the final set of plans for the former sewage-treatment facility off Sturry Road, Canterbury, to be given the green light in a few weeks.

A drive-through Taco Bell – the city’s first restaurant run by the Mexican-inspired chain – and five trade counter units are included in the latest proposals.

Storage King has already been given the council’s go-ahead to move onto the plot.

The company behind the scheme, Glenbeigh Developments, estimates up to 50 jobs will be created across the site.

“It’ll be finished by spring next year,” Glenbeigh director Colin Whelan told KentOnline.

“It’s taken a while, but that’s how long planning takes.

"The council had queries with our latest application. We made a couple of amendments to satisfy them and it’s with the case officer for consideration.

“We definitely expect a decision by mid-July.”

Workmen have already moved onto the 3.5-acre plot to carry out preliminary underground work.

Mr Whelan says this first phase of the project, which began at the start of the month, will finish towards the end of August.

“All of the off-site works are being done over a 12-week programme,” he added.

“This is the diversion of all the services below ground which allows us to put the access road into the site up to the point where it gets to Storage King.

“This work is for the entire site so we won’t have to go back and dig up the road again.”

Planning papers penned by Glenbeigh say “the proposals will improve the public realm along Sturry Road, while providing valuable assets for the local environment and economy”.

Taco Bell - which also has plans to open a takeaway in the former Jigsaw store in Canterbury's high street - will be across the road from KFC and McDonald’s.

The firm struck a deal for the site ahead of a handful of other outlets.

Glenbeigh entered negotiations with the firm last year for what will be its fourth Kent restaurant, before striking a deal for the site ahead of a handful of other outlets.

Meanwhile, Taco Bell is looking to strengthen its foothold in the city by launching another takeaway in the former Jigsaw clothes store along the high street.

“The trade counter is being built speculatively,” Mr Whelan continued.

“We’re talking to potential operators, but it’s very early in the programme because the occupiers need to know when the buildings will be finished.”

Plans to transform the wasteland, which has become increasingly unsightly in recent years, have been in the pipeline for more than a decade.

Glenbeigh first launched a bid to build the trade park in 2009.