The paper incorporates pole restriction into the generalised predictive controller (GPC). The closed-loop poles are restricted to a region determined from settling time and maximum percentage overshoot. The design is less restrictive than pole placement in that a region rather than fixed points is specified for the closed-loop poles. This property becomes important when process dynamics vary significantly during operation. Furthermore, the algorithm is efficient, as the control weighting lambda need not be computed at every sample. A piecewise time-invariant controller is obtained, thus the stability robustness of the system is enhanced.