Opposition to a new McDonald's drive-through restaurant planned in Ammanford appears to be mounting but the scheme also has its supporters. The fast food giant wants to build it at the petrol station end of the Tesco Superstore car park although the petrol station would remain in place.
MicDonald's said it would create 120 jobs and benefit Welsh beef and dairy farmers. But the application to Carmarthenshire Council has already led to 73 objections with many people concerned about the potential for more litter, congestion, and the restaurant's impact on cafes in the town.
Objector Katie Burkitt said in an email to the council that it would cause traffic "mayhem" and that it amazed her that people could afford fast food outlets given cost of living pressures. "There are plenty of other sites it could be built on," she wrote. "God help us if we have to contend with a drive-thru takeaway."
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Chris Stanney said McDonald's was "unfortunately synonymous with litter" and that he feared for Ammanford's existing café businesses. He also felt the impact on roads due to extra traffic would be hard to ignore. "In summary this is the wrong time, the wrong location, and the wrong franchise/business to have in Ammanford right now," he said.
The entrance to the Tesco store is via a roundabout off the A474 which links Ammanford with Glanaman and Garnant to the east. Objector Calum Higgins said: "The queuing at peak time will block the roundabouts outside Tesco and the 'through' traffic for the entire Amman Valley." He feared air quality in the town centre would worsen because some traffic would divert to avoid the A474 roundabout at Tesco.
The superstore car park currently has 429 spaces. McDonald's has proposed 33 parking spaces of its own including seven for staff. The drive-through restaurant would seat 76 customers and have a new play area and some greenery.
A supporting statement accompanying its planning application said there would be strict protocols to ensure noise and disturbance was kept to a minimum and that litter patrols would take place three times a day up to 150m from the restaurant. "This may be expanded to suit local needs," it said.
There is a McDonald's restaurant in Cross Hands and another at Pont Abraham Services both of which are just over five miles from Ammanford. A transport assessment submitted on behalf of McDonald's said there were no justifiable reasons for refusing the new application. One of its conclusions was that the development "will not have a material impact on the operation of the road network as the junctions already operate over the theoretical capacity prior to the addition of the development traffic".
One of the 12 supporters of the drive-through who have contacted the council to date said Ammanford was "dying" and that it "will also be nice for the teenagers to have somewhere to go and meet up". Another supporter, David Warren, said the 120 new jobs would be great for the town.
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