The quiet of St Peter’s Church in Stanningley was disturbed by a community consultation this week as developers unveiled plans for a new 24 hour drive-through McDonald’s on the suburb’s busy Town Street.
The McDonald’s developers claim the proposal will generate around 80 new jobs, regenerate the site and pump £48,000 into the Leeds City Council coffers.
“Who eats a burger at 4am?”
A local resident called out during the meeting.
Some cautiously welcomed the plans on certain conditions, like deputy head of West SILK Special School, John Mace: “Our school’s really involved in providing opportunities for young people to move into employment. There’s an opportunity there for us to get in from the start.”
But there were plenty of local residents against the plans, with discussions turning tense at times. Concerns around traffic and litter dominated discussions, while some questioned the need for a 24 hour restaurant. “Who eats a burger at 4am?” one resident asked.
Steve Jones is a retired police officer who has lived in the area for 25 years, “They’re talking about building houses on that site as well. Well, I’m sorry but if I went to a house and saw a McDonald’s next to it, I wouldn’t buy it, so straight-away: that’s a kybosh.”
Councillors Adele Rae and Tom Hinchcliffe of the Bramley and Stanningley Ward, as well as Councillor Kevin Ritchie, were all at the consultation to listen to their constituents and voice their concerns.
Councillor Rae spoke of the “massive need” for more affordable housing in the area: “There’s a lot of poverty in Leeds. And it is very difficult for people starting out in life to cope and manage rental costs.”
Councillor Hinchcliffe spoke on the lack of detail in the plan: “Today all we’ve heard are skeleton plans. We’ve seen a few drawings but they are nowhere near the level of detail we need to make a decision, or the planning authority would need to make a decision, or I would need to make an objection, or support the proposal.”
The community consultation was ran by third parties employed by the developers who declined to make any official comments on the plan. The developers themselves were not at the consultation, and have not replied to a request for comment at time of publication.
There were serious concerns set out by passionate local residents and councillors about the proposal, while a few local residents welcomed the prospect of jobs in the area. But for the Bramley and Stanningley Ward councillors, it was clear they will need to see a much more detailed proposal, before they could support or object to the plans.