FURIOUS residents are protesting plans for a new McDonald’s in their small area.
Plans for the fast food restaurant and accompanying drive-through have been submitted in Sprowston – a small town in Norfolk.
An overhead view of the submitted planning application[/caption]
The scheme would also include an M&S petrol station, but hundreds of locals have voiced their opposition to the proposals.
Almost 250 residents have signed a petition to block the McDonald’s as part of local campaign group “Sprowston’s Not Lovin’ It”.
Just 44 of 84 public comments on the planning application were in support, too.
Campaigners believe the McDonald’s would have a detrimental impact on traffic safety in the area, Norwich Evening News reports.
Councillors voted against the plans by six to five last year, but a final decision now rests with the Planning Inspectorate after McDonald’s appealed the decision.
The Planning Inspectorate deals with appeals of local planning applications in England.
Supporters of the plans point to the jobs the restaurant will create, while McDonald’s has said it will make a significant contribution to the local economy.
In its appeal, the fast food chain said it would create “at least 120 new jobs” and bring “real benefits for local people”.
But Sprawston councillor Natasha Harpley said she had voted against the proposal after choosing to “stand with my community on this matter”.
Local resident James Edmonds pointed to the “huge amount of additional traffic” that would cause an increase in pollution.
He also said the site is already home to a dangerous junction, while there is an alternative McDonald’s only a couple of miles away.
A spokesman for McDonald’s previously said: “Our scheme will deliver a range of local benefits, including creating more than 100 jobs.
“McDonald’s proposals include controls to ensure that customers exiting the site will only be permitted to turn left, sufficient parking to accommodate demand, and a carefully planned system to regulate traffic and prevent queuing.”
