Officials say McDonald's drive-through 'too reliant on cars'

The city council has rejected attempts by the fast food chain to open a new outlet on Mousehold Lane, on the site of the Richard Nash car centre.

But the company has escalated the fight, appealing to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which has the power to overturn a council’s decisions if it believes they have strayed from the law. 

Plans were initially submitted for the Sprowston McDonald's in January 2022 (Image: Norwich City Council)

Norwich City Council recently submitted their 'statement of case' to inspectors which sets out their arguments for why the appeal should be rejected.

It claims the scheme would be overly reliant on cars and not a "sustainable form of development". 

Council officials said: “One council objective is to combat the effects of climate change by minimising the overall need to travel, reducing dependency on the private car and high emission vehicles.

“This is a busy 40mph principal route which does not provide the safest, healthiest or most attractive environment for pedestrians and cyclists.”

They also said the site is “not a highly accessible location”, and the company is over-providing car parking spaces, which suggests the scheme “inherently relies” on car travel.

A McDonald’s spokeswoman said: “We understand the concerns raised by Norwich City Council and local residents and have worked closely with our design team to address these points as part of the planning appeal process. 

“We believe that there is demand for a new McDonald's restaurant on Mousehold Lane which would bring significant investment into the local area, including at least 120 new full and part-time jobs.” 

The appeal will be decided by inspectors in due course.  

What have locals said? 

Alongside the council’s statement of case, dozens of comments have been submitted by locals who are siding with the council in objecting to the plan. 

Many have argued that the scheme would lead to dangerous traffic levels, rubbish being left on the nearby heath and that there are already enough McDonald's in the area. 

One said: “There are already at least four takeaways within a mile of the site - KFC, a kebab shop and two chip shops.

“This is a time when we have an obesity crisis in this country and we should not encourage young people to eat more junk food.”

Another added: “Mousehold Lane has non-stop traffic 24 hours a day, it’s mayhem so to add another business to the area would just make things worse, especially a business with regular frequent comings and goings it will be hazardous.  

“It’s known that McDonald’s fast food is plagued by smells, litter and food waste, this business would be in the heart of Mousehold Heath, a beautiful woodland.”