Fw: [McLibel] Another Resident's Against McDonald's Success Story - Sheffield, UK

[Guest guest]

-

" McSpotlight " <info

<list

Friday, January 31, 2003 6:03 PM

[McLibel] Another Resident's Against McDonald's Success Story -

Sheffield, UK

 

 

> MCDONALD'S WITHDRAW APPLICATION FOR ECCLESALL ROAD SHEFFIELD AT ELEVENTH

HOUR.

>

> SUMMARY

>

> A proposal for a sixty-seater restaurant in a shopping precinct on

Ecclesall Road was made on behalf

> of McDonald's Restaurants in July 2002. Ecclesall Road is a main access

route to the city centre.

> It is lined by independent shops and restaurants with only a few national

chain stores. The local

> student population is high although the area also has many family

residents bringing up children in

> the area. There is a strong sense of community and people are happy with

the street cafes and great

> variety of shops in the area.

>

> Local opposition to the McDonald's proposals was strong and local

shopkeeper Paul Iseard raised a

> petition opposing the plans. It was signed by over 2400 people during the

summer period and

> presented to the full Council in September 2002.

>

> The Planning Officers recommended refusal due to lack of parking,

unsatisfactory delivery

> arrangements and the disruption to local residents. In December 2002, on

the morning of the

> Planning Committee meeting, McDonald's withdrew the application.

>

> DETAIL

>

> McDonald's presented the proposal as a new specially modified style of

restaurant designed to suit

> suburban areas. It would shut at 11pm and offer a restricted menu but

with these exceptions there

> was really no discernible difference to their usual formula.

>

> In their favour the shopping precinct has a number of empty units and

residents living above were

> concerned about the negative impact and the lack of rental income that

would naturally reduce

> expenditure on maintaining and refurbishing the site generally.

McDonald's argued that the area was

> in need of revitalisation and could easily accommodate another fast food

outlet.

>

> Against them were the following considerations:

>

> · The area is already saturated with fast food outlets - 47 opportunities

to buy hot food within a

> ten minute walk

> · Parking is a real problem. McDonald's claimed there were twelve

available parking spaces on the

> 75-place precinct car park, the number they reckoned would be needed to

accommodate their

> customers. At many times of the day, particularly early evening, this was

patently not the case

> · Deliveries and waste collection would have had to be made through the

car park as rear access is

> restricted to light vehicles. The use of the shoppers car park by

articulated lorries raised

> serious safety concerns

> · The effects on local residents of the cooking odours, litter, rats, late

night noise etc.

>

> Given the strength of local opposition the local press gave sympathetic

coverage to the

> anti-McDonald's campaign. The campaign was supported by a prominent local

councillor. The local

> Lib-Dem MP also wrote a letter of protest as did the Chamber of Trade, the

vicar of the local

> church, the Friends of the Botanical Gardens, and the local community

group. In addition to the

> petition, around 50 letters of objection were received.

>

> It was clear from the plans that McDonald's had given little thought to

the details of the location

> and the constraints they placed on their proposed operation.

Particularly, they did not seem to

> realise that the lack of access to the rear was going to be a significant

problem. Their original

> plans showed a waste storage area built onto the back but a site

inspection would easily have

> established that there simply was not room for this. They seem to have

assumed they could build

> onto the service road! They then proposed storing waste in a couple of

empty lock-up garages

> provided for the use of residents above! Neither did McDonald's realise

the extent of the parking

> problems, seeming to think that they could bluff their way through with

the claim there is

> sufficient parking. Thankfully, the Council carried out a traffic survey

to update their data, and

> along with my own data was able to use lack of parking as a primary ground

for refusal of planning

> permission.

>

> CONCLUSION

>

> Campaigning against this application was easy because McDonald's had not

done their homework on the

> site. They ignored the local campaign and restricted their response to

brief press statements when

> approached by journalists.

>

> The company acting on their behalf was based in London and clearly had

little knowledge of the local

> situation.

>

> Far from being a well-oiled corporate machine able to push its proposals

through, they came across

> as poorly prepared and insensitive. Had they made a proper assessment of

the site it is my belief

> they would not have applied in the first place.

>

> CAMPAIGNING POINTS

>

> · Involve your local politicians and explain your objective reasons for

McDonald's to be refused

> planning permission.

>

> · Get up a petition, this will bring forward local allies and expertise

that can help you run a

> successful campaign

>

> · Write to McDonald's for clarification on details of their plans, just to

make sure you have made

> the right assumptions about the type of operation they are proposing

>

> · Engage the local media when you have something to say, and while

concentrating on the planning

> grounds do not hesitate to bring out the wider arguments against what they

are doing. In particular

> emphasise that their business model is out of step with modern times,

given the landfill tax and all

> the environmental measures being pursued in the UK

>

> · Examine the plans in detail at the Council offices and speak regularly

to the Planning Officer on

> the case. This person may turn out to be your greatest ally! In

particular, see what concerns they

> might have then see if you can provide relevant information in those

areas. In our case it was

> parking, and the local data produced must have helped the Planning Officer

demonstrate that parking

> was insufficient to cater for a new restaurant

>

> PAUL ISEARD

> Don Alexander's " Famous Sheffield Shop "

> www.sheffield-made.com

>

> Email paul.iseard

>

> ---- the McLibel mailing list ----

>

> McDonald's, McLibel, multinationals

> http://www.mcspotlight.org

>

> get on: send blank mail to list-

> get off: send blank mail to list-

> help: send blank mail to list-help

> human: send meaningful email to list-owner

> submit: send stuff to list-submit

>

>

[Guest guest]

, " Graham Burnett "

<grahamburnett@b...> wrote:

>

> -

 

Hmm I only sent this once- looks like ! is up the creek yet

again...