McDonald's Irish expansion plan stalls after objections to new drive-thru restaurants

Gordon Deegan

The expansion of fast food giant McDonald's in Ireland has been stalled by planning appeals lodged by sole objectors in Westmeath and Waterford.

Last month, planning authorities in the two counties gave the green light to planned new McDonald's drive-thru restaurants at Lakepoint Retail and Business Park in Mullingar and Waterford Retail Park in Butterstown, Co Waterford.

As part of its continuing Irish expansion, McDonald's also has additional planning applications for new drive-thru restaurants for sites in New Ross, Co Wexford, Thurles, Co Tipperary and Carrigaline, Co Cork.

McDonald's has also lodged plans for a make-over of its flagship outlet on Dublin’s on 62 O'Connell Street Upper, which was first opened in 1979.

The proposals by the US-headquartered firm in Co Westmeath and Co Waterford attracted little or no opposition with only one objection lodged in each case.

However, those sole objectors, Ray Leonard in Co Westmeath and Michael Feehan in Co Kilkenny have now lodged appeals with An Bord Pleanála against the planning permissions.

Both objectors live a distance away from the planned McDonald's outlets – Mr Feehan has an address at Graigue Lower, Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny while Mr Leonard has an address in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath.

In his original objection against the McDonald's drive-thru proposal in Waterford, Mr Feehan claimed that the development “will fundamentally alter the nature of the retail warehouse park”.

He claimed that the scheme “is s single use car based development, not ancillary to any of the uses on the park or providing any synergy with same”.

Mr Feehan further claimed that the McDonald's proposal “will negatively impact on existing restaurants and takeaways in the general area including in particular those in the city centre and district centres”.

Mr Feehan also claimed that the drive-thru “will negatively impact on the vitality and viability of the city centre and district centre drawing traffic into a facility on the periphery”.

In his appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the Mullingar McDonald's, Mr Leonard said that "notwithstanding that the development will have some function in providing food for workers on the estate, it will primarily function as a single trip facility aimed at car based customers which will negatively impact on the commercial viability and vitality of the town centre and against the principle of town centre first”.

Mr Leonard said “the development in question will act against the town centre first approach which is central to any continued and sustainable development of Mullingar”.

Decisions on the appeals are due in July.