More than 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurant

A petition to oppose plans for a new McDonald's in Mansfield has sparked debate amongst Forest Town residents.
Over 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurantOver 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurant
Over 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurant

Plans were submitted for the new restaurant in March, and if approved, will create over 60 news jobs.

It is planned on part of the Asda car park in Old Mill Lane, Forest Town.

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A play area is planned outside the restaurant "for younger customers to climb and explore".

Over 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurantOver 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurant
Over 800 residents sign petition against new Mansfield McDonald's restaurant
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The number of car parking spaces at the site would reduce from 604 to 525, should the plans be given the go-ahead.

The documents say McDonald's would work to make sure that noise and disturbance were kept to a minimum.

However, residents have set up an online petition against the bid and have vowed to fight the plans.

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The petition, which has reached over 800 signatures, was started by Mick Barton.

Reasons for opposing the restaurant include health inequality, rubbish, and anti-social behaviour amongst others.

Mr Barton states: "Mansfield suffers from health inequality. Residents are likely to die 10 years younger that those in other parts of Nottinghamshire.

"Sixty percent of residents are overweight and we have to challenge obesity and social immobility. Fast food chains do not contribute towards healthy eating and good food choices. So, on wellbeing grounds, we object to another fast food outlet opening up at the heart of a family community area such as Forest Town. "Forest Town is blighted with rubbish and fly-tipping around Old Mill Lane, Sandlands Way and New Mill Lane.

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"We object to McDonalds opening up a 24 hour facility in Forest Town as it will be detrimental to the local environment due to increased litter that will be strewn around our neighbourhood. Residents have concerns over the smell that will also come with another fast food outlet opening up in Forest Town and this cannot be discounted as it is an important environmental factor. No one wants to sit out in their garden that smells like a deep fat fryer. For environmental reasons, we object to McDonalds building a two storey restaurant in Forest Town."The retail park in Forest Town has been subject to anti-social behaviour in the past and an open car park with 24 access is a magnet for car and gang related ASB.

"The junctions of Sanderlings Way, The Ridings and Heatherley Drive are already difficult to access due to the traffic flow from Old Mill Lane, New Mill Lane, Sandlands Retail Park and Asda. Increased traffic flows will gridlock these residential areas. The application makes no consideration for junction improvements from the main carriageways.

"The development will attract more cars to the area, the roads are already busy and at peak times at least 100 extra cars each hour (wholly underestimated) will pass through our community. There are already accidents in Forest Town each week and this will increase if there's increased traffic and no highway improvements to compensate for this. "Parents from Heatherley School use the car park to 'park and walk' to school. The school will increase in capacity over the next three years and will require safe access to the school for another 100 pupils. The Heatherley Drive estate is not equipped for this and the park and walk solution is viable and well-used. If this is lost, it puts young people and their parents at risk. On safety grounds, we object to the McDonalds development in Forest Town. "We feel that the business model sited in the planning application is significantly under estimated based on the current customer levels seen at Nottingham Road. The plan for a large two storey building clearly shows that the intention is for this site to deal with more than local demand and become a destination restaurant for the chain. This will bring more traffic, more litter and more noise to our area."

A further comment from resident Alison Hensman states: "This area is largely residential. The current road network for this area of Forest Town is already under strain from large volumes of traffic using various retail outlets in this location.

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"Having yet another outlet here will cause huge congestion. The mini roundabout at the entrance to Asda is problematic for drivers, as is the junction with Sanderling Way next to the Foxglove pub.

"There are frequent minor collisions at these junctions and one day I believe there will be a fatality."My other objections to the sorting of this outlet are the noise and light pollution associated with it and the litter associated with fast food outlets which already find strewn across the Sanderling Way estate.

"This is an area for homes, for families to live in peace and quiet, not to have their homes encroached on by increasing levels of environmental pollution and dangerously high traffic levels."

A litter patrol plan has been submitted as part of the planning application, for staff to 'prevent a build-up of litter'.

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The plan will see the restaurant's manager implementing patrols to pick up all litter in a 100 metre radius of the site.

A counter petition in support of the application has reached 80 signatures, which you can see here: change.org/p/pbc-mansfield-gov-uk-mansfield-district-council-say-yes-to-forest-town-mcdonald-s