Plans for a McDonald’s Drive Thru restaurant in Ross-on-Wye have divided the community, with many residents, especially those living in the St Mary’s Garden Village area of the town objecting to the planning application. Residents in this area state that when they purchased their houses, no plans for a McDonald’s were mentioned and residents are concerned about access to the site and other factors such as litter and anti-social behaviour.
Local resident Adam Woods said:
“Much thought has been given to reducing staff traffic levels and keeping the volume of traffic expected within the grounds of McDonalds, but mass traffic that McDonalds will produce is still a real fact.
“This is especially true around rush hour and evenings where boy racers (they do exist!) drive in and out of McDonalds car parks. This is not a stereotype but a fact. It is also unfair to say that many people will walk. Neither has our society adopted this as the primary transport option yet nor is this even a safe area for families to walk in from all directions. Thus, cars will continue to be the primary source of transport.
“It is already far too dangerous pulling in and out of the main roundabout from both the B4234 and A40 Southbound. Many of times, people pull out dangerously to what is effectively the end of a motorway. The increased traffic from A40 will, in my opinion, will cause a significant increase of fatality by car accident.
“Entry from the A449 would reduce this impact given that the dual carriageway naturally takes priority on the roundabout due to the volume of consistent traffic coming from it.”
However, not everyone is against the plans. Local resident Steven Chambers has submitted a short statement of support for the application. He said:
“This will bring lots of new jobs to the town and McDonald’s always support local projects and support the community! People have been wanting this for a long time!”
McDonald’s says that ‘The proposal represents a multi-million-pound investment by a national operator in Ross on Wye and the restaurant is expected to employ more than 120 full and part time staff, which McDonald’s seeks to recruit from the local area.’
‘The proposed development comprises of a modern freestanding single storey McDonald’s restaurant with drive-thru, car parking, landscaping and associated works, including customer order displays (COD) and a play frame. Provision is made for takeaway customers, both from the counter and from the drive-thru lane.
‘The proposal includes 50 car parking spaces, inclusive of provision for 5.no accessible bays, 2.no grill bays and 2.no Electric Vehicle Charging bays. Furthermore, there are 4.no motorbike spaces, and 6 No Sheffield customer bike stands, for an overall provision of 12
cycle spaces and 4 double secure cycle lockers for staff, providing 8 spaces, in accordance with the Council’s standards, and further referenced within the Transport Statement.
‘An external play area is located on the new patio area, with facilities for younger customers to climb and explore. The specification of the structure has been included as part of the supporting documentation.
‘The latest figures available show that McDonald’s contributed £37.46 million to the economy in Herefordshire. Of this total, 7% is associated with the value of the meals sold in restaurants and the remaining 93% is the value of expenditure with suppliers and driven by the multiplier effect of employees in their company-owned and franchised restaurants, and employees supported by the supply chain, spending their wages in the local economy.’
A decision on whether McDonald’s are able to get the go ahead to build the Drive Thru restaurant in Ross-on-Wye is expected later this year.
