Three years after their last attempt, McDonald’s is trying again to foist one of their large, fast-food joints on Westow Street, in the heart of the Crystal Palace Triangle.
The council’s planning department received almost one thousand letters of opposition from residents, a record response.
The proposition this time round is subtly different, but is nonetheless likely to be a cause for concern for many locals who live in or close to the two nearby conservation areas, as they anticipate moped-riding delivery riders going backwards and forwards at all times of the day and night. Parents of pupils at nearby schools also previously raised concerns.
A newly selected Tory parliamentary candidate has piped up with a non-committal question on social media, while the Liberal Democrat councillor for the ward, Claire Bonham, has started to put key questions to McDonald’s and their development agents. Nothing’s been heard from local Labour councillors, nor from the area’s Labour MP.
In an email last week from agents Cavendish Consulting to Councillor Bonham, they confirmed plans for a “more traditional McDonald’s restaurant with seating and reduced opening hours”. The Poundland site on Westow Street is their potential location.
“Croydon Council quite rightly rejected the application from McDonald’s three years ago, so I will be keen to see how any future planning application from them will differ from the last one,” Bonham told Inside Croydon.
“I would urge McDonald’s to fully engage with the local community and share their plans so that residents get a clear and detailed picture of what is being proposed and when.
Asking questions: Cllr Claire Bonham
“Many residents will have strong feelings about McDonald’s opening a restaurant in the Crystal Palace Triangle. I am very keen to hear locals’ views on the matter – whether positive, negative or indifferent.”
The 2019 application for a 24-hour “McDonald’s to Go”, a takeaway restaurant with no seating, drew concerns about the proposed access and the risk of anti-social behaviour. It came at a time when landlords were doubling the rents for some of the shops in the area, driving out the small independent traders which provide much of the character of the Triangle area.
In 2019, the police objections were summarised by the council as “likely to give rise to gang activity”; “potential for increased rates of robbery”; “already anti-social behaviour problems which would worsen”; “lack of parking could lead to conflicts”; “potential for more road accidents, especially involving scooters”.
In a letter to McDonald’s consultants outlining the reasons for refusal, the council said that the planned outlet “would create unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance for nearby residents, harming living conditions”.
The planners added: “There are also police concerns due to the proposal causing an increased likelihood of anti-social behaviour and other crime in the vicinity.”
Other reasons for refusal given by the planners cited “inadequate parking facilities” which “would have negative implications for highway safety”. This, the planners wrote, “is therefore not considered to comply with Local Plan (2018) policy DM 29”.
Residents wishing to contact Councillor Bonham can email her at claire.bonham@croydonlibdems.org.
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