Plans for McDonald's drive-thru set to be approved in Mansfield

Members of the council’s planning committee have been recommended to approve the fast food outlet, at Oakleaf Close, when it meets for its final meeting of 2019 on December 16.

The plans would see the fast food giant open its third restaurant in the town at the site next to Aldi supermarket, MKM builders’ merchants and the Golden Eagle pub, just off Southwell Road West.

It comes just two-and-a-half months after the same committee rejected separate plans for a McDonald’s restaurant in Forest Town due to concerns over public health and obesity.

Councillors failed to rubber-stamp the plans after lengthy discussions, in which members raised concerns about the “knock-on effect” a fast food restaurant would have on health and social care in future years – especially due to the Forest Town site’s close proximity to four schools.

Speaking at the meeting on September 23, Councillor Mick Barton revealed he had put together a petition with more than 300 written and 1,500 online signatures, calling for the Forest Town site to be stopped.

He said: “A McDonald's is the last thing we needed, it shouldn’t be on the doorstep. Mansfield suffers the worst obesity levels in Nottinghamshire.”

The planning committee report for the Oakleaf Close site also raises issues about obesity levels.

It says: “The public health and commissioning manager for Nottinghamshire County Council confirms that childhood obesity is a major public health challenge for Nottinghamshire.

“The fast food outlet density in Mansfield is higher than the England average and the highest in Nottinghamshire.”

But the report does add that the Oakleaf Close site is “sufficiently remote from schools”, stressing that there are “no valid reasons” to object to this development on the grounds of public health.

If the plans at Sherwood Oaks Business Park are approved by councillors, it would see the restaurant built with 43 car parking spaces and two service points for the drive-thru, as well as three bike racks.

There are also proposals for outdoor seating and a children’s play space.