News / Environment
McDonald’s Fishponds application turned down
An application for a new McDonald’s restaurant on Fishponds Road has been unanimously turned down by councillors.
The vote came after impassioned appeals by local residents and a star turn by Ella Hassell, a Year 7 pupil at the nearby Bristol Metropolitan Academy.
11-year-old Ella said: “We think this plan would send out the wrong message about diet, obesity and the environment. We think this is a hefty price to pay for a Big Mac.”
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Planning officers recommended the application to be turned down on traffic, noise and light pollution grounds.
Cllr Christian Martin (Lib Dem) said it was “the wrong place, the wrong application,” and Cllr Colin Smith (Lab) said the traffic issues were “immensely dangerous,” and he believed the plans would “cause immense damage to traffic flows”.
Cllr Olly Mead (Lab) said: “If you are going to get fat, you are going to get fat whether there is a McDonald’s nearby,” but he agreed that the traffic issues were a reason to turn down the application.
During the debate Fishponds residents handed in a petition with some 1,700 signatures against the application.
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