McDonald’s gets go-ahead for twelfth Cork outlet

McDonald’s has been granted permission for the construction of a single storey drive-thru restaurant in Carrigaline by Cork County Council.

The council granted permission this week for what will be McDonald’s twelfth Cork outlet, which will be adjacent to Aldi at Pottery Road, Carrigaline West.

The plans also include a corral area, elevational signage, car parking including accessible parking spaces, grill bays, EV charging spaces, bicycle parking, a height restrictor, customer order points, signage and digital menu boards. There will be solar PV panels at roof level, an outdoor seating area with parasols, as well as lighting, a new vehicular and pedestrian accesses onto the existing secondary road and new pedestrian access onto Pottery Road with a new footpath.

The granting of permission comes despite a few objections by locals, with one writing: “There is growing international and Irish evidence linking fast-food access with poor health outcomes, particularly childhood obesity. Locating a 24-hour McDonald’s within close proximity to homes and schools runs counter to Healthy Ireland goals and the HSE’s own Childhood Obesity Action Plan.”

Concerns were also raised about increased littering in the area, noise levels and visual disturbance from signs late at night, and odours and emissions from cooking.

The developer, McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd, carried out a range of assessments including environmental, noise impact, odour, traffic and flood risk and explained in their planning statement that “there is not an oversupply of similar restaurants within the area and as such there are no concerns of proliferation”.

McDonald’s said that the proposed development will encourage more activity and generate more jobs at the heart of Carrigaline at the current brownfield site.

“The proposed development will activate an undeveloped, centrally located site, thereby contributing to the town centre’s vitality. Additionally, due to the existing layout and planning of the surrounding area, no detrimental impact on residential amenities is anticipated,” they said. 

Permission was granted subject to 20 conditions including that cutting or removal of trees, hedgerows and clearance of ground vegetation shall not be undertaken between March 1 and August 31 and that details of all external signage must be submitted to, and agreed in writing with the Planning Authority prior to the commencement of development.