Fareham: McDonald's defends plans for drive through restaurant
Some people are concerned about congestion and noise
Last updated 1st May 2024
McDonald’s has said a new drive-thru in Fareham wouldn’t cause problems despite almost half of customers making a special trip for a fast food fix.
The claim comes as McDonald’s sets its sights on a brownfield site of land at a junction with the A27 Southampton Road and Farm Road, near Titchfield.
In plans submitted to Fareham Borough Council, the fast food chain said the modern freestanding, 474sqm, two-storey restaurant could open as early as next year.
It would have an 86-seat restaurant, 37 car parking spaces, and 14 cycle parking spaces.
A traffic plan estimates 47 per cent of customers would make a special trip to the McDonald’s on a Friday and 53 per cent would already be on local roads.
On a Saturday, 35 per cent of customers would make a special trip and 65 per cent would not.
The total amount of traffic to the site on a Friday peak time (8am to 9am), is expected to be 79 vehicles, 125 during the Friday afternoon peak (6pm to 7pm), and 144 during Saturday’s peak from 1pm to 2pm.
On a Friday, the traffic consultants said there would be 42 sole trips to the restaurant during peak morning times (8am to 9am), 75 during afternoon peak times (6pm to 7pm), and 63 during Saturday peak times (1pm to 2pm).
Included in the above figures is McDelivery traffic in the local area, with 10 trips on Friday peak, 31 on Friday afternoon and 19 on Saturday.
The survey, carried out on behalf of McDonald’s, said that the 37 parking bays are sufficient at the site for staff and customers.
As for queuing at the drive-thru, the report said a maximum of 15 vehicles are expected to queue twice in a two-minute interval on a Friday evening. On a Saturday, the queue of 15 vehicles would only occur for four, two-minute periods.
The consultants said there would be “no material impact on the operation of the surrounding local road network” and the proposed car park and drive-thru lane have “sufficient capacity to accommodate the expected level of demand”.
There have been over 200 comments on the planning application with objections and concerns over its location next to the Air Cadet building, noise, pollution, parking and environmental impact on the local residents and loss of trees.
St Margaret’s Roundabout is 165 metres southeast of the A27/Farm Road junction and is a five-arm partially signalised roundabout. The A27 Southampton Road forms the northwest and southeast arms of the roundabout.
The traffic assessment done as part of the planning application said there were 14 personal injury incidents recorded over the monitored period of time, 11 at the roundabout. One was described as serious the rest as a slight accident including six collisions at the roundabout. The serious accident was caused by a car failing to give way to a motorcyclist.
The site is served by regular buses to Fareham, Westquay and Warsash despite being at the ‘edge of town.’
One objector, who is not named on the borough council’s planning portal, said there would be traffic congestion and inconvenience to the local residents. They went on to say there would be an increased security risk to the local Air Training Corps (1350 squadron) that is based next to the site and that plans have already been approved for a McDonalds at Whiteley’s district centre, three miles away which has a host of other takeaway restaurants.
Another anonymous objection said: “Congestion, noise, disruption and risks to nearby households, increased hazards related to exit and joining the A27 and additional pollution. There will be antisocial behaviour. There will be significant noise. There will be additional traffic related dangers. There will be additional pollution. 24 hours a day!!“
The council has set June 3 as a target date to decide on the restaurant planning application.