BUILDING work is soon to start on the new Nando’s restaurant which will open in North Swindon next year.

Workmen are expected to begin labouring on the site within the next week or so as the former Pizza Hut at the Orbital Shopping Park is transformed into a brand new Nando’s.

They will share the space with mobile phone retailer EE.

Jamie Turner, centre manager for Orbital, Swindon, has given his full backing to the development.

He said: “We are delighted that Nando’s has signed for a new restaurant at Orbital and look forward to welcoming another popular brand to the centre.

“The unit Nando’s will occupy is currently undergoing a significant redevelopment and once complete will create a new retail space that will also be home to digital communications company EE.”

Added to the restaurant will be a new mezzanine floor along with a remodelled exterior and additional outside seating.

It is thought that around 50 new jobs will be created, 20 more than there were at Pizza Hut before it closed earlier this year.

The work will add an extra 119 square metres of floor space, taking the overall size to 423sqm not including the phone shop.

This will be the second Nando’s in Swindon following the successful launch of the town centre branch, in Regent Circus, just over a year ago.

It is hoped the popular Portuguese restaurant chain, famed for its flame-grilled Peri-Peri chicken, will help bring more visitors to the Orbital.

The application reads: “The proposals will have a positive impact on the local economy through facilitating beneficial and meaningful employment.

“The construction phase of the project will also support local construction employment and specialist trades prior to this.”

It is thought that the restaurant will likely be ready to open in the spring of 2018, though nobody from Nando’s was willing to respond to a request for more information.