THE seventh McDonald’s in Basildon will be built next to a primary school, despite concerns about children’s health. The fast food giant has been given the green light for the new drive-thru restaurant in the car park of the former Homebase, off London Road, Vange reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
Basildon Borough Council refused planning permission for the restaurant in February over health concerns, but the chain has won an appeal against the council’s decision. It comes after the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed how the council agreed to pay the chain £1 million, for the construction of the restaurant, out of its council house building budget.
Independent councillor Kerry Smith raised health concerns as it’s an eight-minute walk from Vange Primary School. The former deputy council leader said: “In my view the planning appeal judge doesn’t live in the real world. Did they do a site visit, I very much doubt it. They looked on Google Maps, don’t know the area and are deciding on the future health of people. We could have built 86 council homes there.”
The former Homebase store shut last spring, and the site as put up for sale, after the company collapsed into administration. The appeal found children eating fast food would be at the “discretion of their parents and carers”. It also found the other six McDonald’s are “distributed across a relatively wide area.”
Andy Barnes, leader of the Basildon Conservatives, said it will go ahead “whether we like it or not.” He added: “It’s disappointing in a sense that do we really need another McDonald’s in Basildon. Any steps the firm can take to mitigate the negative impact, will be a positive thing. It is about that balance, there’s also employment and economic activity.”
The appeal report adds: “While the proposal may not actively promote healthy lifestyles or reduce health inequalities, the evidence does not convincingly demonstrate that any specific harm would arise on either count.”
