Essex town to get its first ever KFC and McDonalds despite vermin concerns

McDonalds and KFC have been given permission to open their first restaurants in Witham in the face of concerns about vermin as well as noise and pollution.

Braintree Council approved plans for the development on Gershwin Boulevard despite objections from nearby residents on Tuesday night (November 12).

The council planning committee was told the retail park could potentially create the equivalent of 90 full-time positions.

McDonald’s and Costa are set to occupy two of the five units, and KFC is planning to move into one of the two units in a combined building.

The new retail park will be easily accessed from the A12 heading north and southbound.

A report said buildings will be constructed on land that used to be farmland but is now “poor quality scrub land.” Braintree District Council received 13 letters of objection related to the proposal.

John Wicks told the committee that the development would create litter and increase noise and light pollution.

He said: “It’s going to have an adverse effect on litter, increasing pests, noise pollution, smell and light pollution.

“During the development of the adjacent Mercedes dealership, we saw a massive increase in the number of rodents that were displaced through the wildlife being moved out of the area.

“And that’s actually caused damage to properties including chewing of wires and pipes. The big concerns are noise and antisocial behaviour. We already get problems with kids and cars and late night car meets in that area. There is going to be no way to stop that happening, and we’ve all got young children. There’s 16 households, 90 per cent  of them have got a child who is under primary school age.”

He added: “With McDonald’s, we’re going to have light pollution from that development, and that’s going to affect our sleep and again affect the sleep of the children, and that’s going to affect their education.”

Councillor Frankie Ricci.said: “Negative press around things like rodents would soon put people off and wanting to go there, so it’s in their best interest to keep the areas clean and tidy.

“If it gets to the point where it’s excessive, then I’m absolutely sure that through community engagement and the use of our enforcement officers, that would be tackled at the sharp end to make sure that it’s dealt with in the right ways and the right means.

“I think on the whole that this is a good use of the area in that part of Witham, which is starting to establish itself.”