New drive-thru McDonald’s gets the thumbs down

THERE has been a significant number of objections to McDonald’s desire to build a new drive-thru restaurant in the car park of Tesco’s store on Emscote Road in Warwick.

Some 105 letters of objection have been sent to Warwick District Council, many of which cited increased traffic and the potential for anti-social behaviour, with just seven in support.

Among the objectors are Warwick Town Council and, more significantly, Warwickshire County Council’s highways department.

It said insufficient information has been provided to enable a full assessment of the impact on the surrounding roads, saying the information provided was based on McDonald’s in neighbouring Leamington, Stratford and Banbury.

The county council also said the car parking surveys were not representative of when demand for parking is likely to be highest, and expressed doubts that the car parking area can be controlled to ensure that the parking spaces required for the large vehicles to turn within the site are not occupied when deliveries and collections are made.

The Tesco car park currently has 535 spaces, but 88 would be lost, including 8 disabled spaces, and three parent and child spaces. Town councillor, Lyn Bolton, wrote in her objection: “The access road to Mothercare and Currys PC World already experience significant issues with anti-social behaviour, with groups using the area as a meeting place, which has lead to vandalism and significant littering.

“The proposed McDonalds in Warwick will cause the same issues and make them worse.” Concern has also been expressed over potential flooding, but that has been dismissed by the agents handling the application.

Supporters said the 65 jobs it will create would be welcome and said the McDonald’s brand itself ‘will only enhance the area’s facilities’.

One wrote: “I am aware people talk about the level of traffic increasing, which it may do, but it would also generate more income and visitors into this lovely town that quite often gets overlooked by Leamington.

“It would also bring much needed competition to local takeaways in the area who sometimes, in my opinion, get away with extortionate prices.”

Warwick District Council will now consider the application on a date yet to be set.