Norfolk's town's bid for McDonalds in doubt

The prospect of a Norfolk town getting its first McDonald’s has been thrown into doubt only weeks after it received planning permission.

North Norfolk District Council’s planning committee is to reconsider allowing the outlet to open in Fakenham after it received complaints it failed to follow correct procedures.

Councillors had granted permission for the venue in Holt Road to open in March.

But opponents to the scheme have said NNDC officials did not adequately consider the potential adverse health effects the restaurant could have.

Under planning rules, the close proximity of the site to a number of schools should have been considered as a potential reason to block it.

Fakenham Academy, Duke of Lancaster Academy, Fakenham Junior School and Fakenham Infant and Nursery School are all within a 20-minute walk of the site.

The National Planning Policy Framework also says a reason for refusal could be if there is evidence that a concentration of fast food outlets could have an “adverse impact on health, pollution or antisocial behaviour” in an area.

However, these aspects were not directly discussed in a council report about the application.

Following a complaint from an objector to the new McDonald’s, NNDC has decided to reconsider the application.

The Development Committee members will vote on whether or not to approve it again on May 2.

It will give opponents to the restaurant a second chance to voice their concerns, which have included increased noise and traffic, as well as public health concerns.

The fast food giant has come under fire recently for how it is overturning councils’ attempts to prevent new fast food outlets from opening.

In planning appeals, the firm has attempted to claim they will encourage healthier lifestyles, according to a British Medical Journal (BMJ) investigation.

Some of these sites are in some of the most deprived areas with high rates of food-related ill health.

GPs have been used to support its efforts to open new venues, making claims that obesity is caused by “over 100 factors” other than fast food.

The BMJ fear this approach by McDonald’s is leaving councils reluctant to block new fast food outlets out of fear of costly legal disputes with the firm.