Despite facing strong opposition from local residents, the Meander Valley Council has given the green light to the construction of a new McDonald’s restaurant in Prospect Vale.
The fast-food giant will take over the site of a former service station at 345-347 Westbury Road, becoming the fourth McDonald’s in Launceston and joining those in Kings Meadows, Invermay and Howick Street.
The development has been a subject of debate since it was first proposed, with a total of 11 locals raising concerns to the council about the impact on their neighbourhood.
At a council meeting on September 10, residents spoke out against the proposal, arguing that the restaurant didn’t fit with the area’s health and wellbeing goals and would be a major nuisance.
“Seriously, if you’re concerned about public health and knowing that McDonald’s is one of the worst food outlets in the world … and you approve this application, then your policies which you write on your website mean absolutely nothing,” one local said.
“We don’t need to have McDonald’s stuck in the middle of Prospect, where a lot of other businesses which could improve Prospect, instead of McDonald’s, which will contaminate that and our children and the rest of it.”
“If I asked you [councillors] if you’d like a McDonald’s stuck next door to your place, I guarantee every one of you would say no. Why should we have one against us?”
Many residents also expressed concerns about noise pollution, traffic congestion on the already busy Westbury Road and the potential for odour coming from the restaurant.
Although the site is zoned for business use, it shares a fence with a residential area, putting residents in close proximity to the development.
In an attempt to address resident concerns, McDonald’s made some changes to their initial proposal, including moving the drive-thru further from the boundary and installing additional sound barriers.
The restaurant will be also closed between 11pm and 6am every night, as opposed to operating 24/7.
