MCDONALD’S PLAN PROMPTS PROTESTS
A SCHOOL head teacher and more than 90 people have joined protests against a new McDonald’s which is set to open in a Cardiff suburb.
McDonald’s wants to open a 24-hour restaurant and drive-thru at the former Ty Glas pub in Llanishen.
Cardiff council’s planning committee will discuss the application in a meeting next week and council officers have urged it to approve the plans.
But people in the area are objecting to the new fast food joint as it would be just 200 metres from a primary school and across the road from a leisure centre.
McDonald’s says it is committed to supporting people make dietary choices and it wants to modernise the vacant building and provide more than 65 jobs.
The head teacher of Coed Glas Primary School, Kevin Hart, is among those expressing concerns about the effect the new McDonald’s would have on children’s health.
He has told Cardiff council: “The proposal to establish a McDonald’s so close to the school is a significant concern, particularly as there is already a fish and chip takeaway in Llanishen village.
“Furthermore, I am very concerned that agreeing to a fast food establishment on a residential estate may well lead to an increase in antisocial behaviour in the evenings.”
Mr Hart said the traffic situation on Ty Glas Avenue “is already a significant concern” and added “there is no doubt that the traffic will increase further if this application is approved, creating further risk to the children and local residents”.
Three petitions have a total of 125 signatures in objection to the proposal and more than 90 people have written to the council expressing their concerns.
People have also expressed fears about litter, noise and odour.
A total of 19 people have written to the council supporting the new McDonald’s due to the jobs that would be created, and say it would enhance community cohesion.
Tim Paddock, who is among those campaigning against the new McDonald’s, said the new restaurant would risk increasing childhood obesity in the area as it would be close to the school and Llanishen Leisure Centre.
He said: “It’s a really significant issue because it’s going to affect the health of the local population.
“There’s a lot of research that suggests when you put fast food outlets next to schools it has an affect on childhood obesity.”
Obesity levels in schoolchildren have been linked to the proximity of fast food restaurants to schools by a research team from Columbia, Berkeley and London School of Economics.
Their study found that locating fast food restaurants next to schools produced a 5.2% rise in obesity among students.
Cardiff council officers say the use of the former Ty Glas to provide food and drink “is established and lawful” and is not a matter for consideration by the planning committee.
The officers say while there would be some increase in traffic, it would not impact on the safety and efficiency of the road, and the are “more than adequate number of litter bins” planned.
In a statement to the council, McDonald’s said its restaurants have air extraction systems which remove 98% of airborne grease at source.
The statement says: “McDonald’s is committed to supporting its customers to make dietary choices that are right for them. The company has pursued a three-pronged approach to achieving this: reformulation, menu choice and the provision of nutrition information, and is the first company in its sector to embark on such a programme.
“The saturated fat content of cooking oil has been reduced by 82% and the average Happy Meal now contains 32% less sugar, 19% less saturated fat and 45% less salt than in 2000. The menu now includes porridge, deli sandwiches, bagels, fruit and carrot stick bags, salads, orange juice, Fruit Shoot drinks, mineral water and semi-skimmed organic milk.
“Since September 2011, all 1,280 McDonald’s UK restaurants display the calorie content of all menu items on menu boards – the point at which people choose their food.
“The site represents an appropriate location for a drive-thru restaurant, which will be well placed to offer refreshments to passing customers and those in the surrounding area.”