Bridgend Council’s planning department has refused permission for a proposed McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant at a former car dealership (pdf).
A full planning application for the drive-thru at Trews Field Industrial Estate in Bridgend was submitted towards the end of 2023.
There were few objections to the application from statutory consultees, though there were concerns about highway safety.
Bridgend Council’s Town Centre Manager suggested alternative vacant sites could be used to prevent trade leeching from the town centre.
Natural Resources Wales objected due to a lack of information on flood risks – though planning officers thought some proposals in the application mitigated this (such as a raised floor).
Residents submitted objections based on littering, noise/nuisance and parking/highway concerns.
Land protected for business and industry
Planning officers had no concerns about the scale/height of the building. They also concluded the existing road network would be able to cope with any additional traffic. Their only major notes of concern were a lack of detail around delivery management and the design of the proposed walking and cycling route.
However, planning officers ultimately refused the application because the land has been protected for specific types of businesses in the Local Development Plan (LDP) – namely light industry and storage/distribution.
While some non-industrial uses are permitted – such as a hotel or gym – a fast food restaurant isn’t counted as one of them and would not be “complementary nor ancillary to the wider (Trews Field) Industrial Estate”. Planning applications have been refused on similar grounds before, such as proposals for a chiropractic clinic on Brackla Industrial Estate.
The developers/McDonald’s will be able to appeal to Planning & Environment Decisions Wales.
Burger King won an appeal to build a drive-thru at Waterton in 2023 – though that application was refused on highways (rather than land use) grounds.
