A NEW McDonald’s restaurant, to be built at South Windsor, provoked some outcries after Hawkesbury Council approved its application on September 8.
The site is at 741 George Street, bordering Bligh Park near Blacktown Road.
Council attached 94 conditions to its approval, including an environmental management plan, a ‘‘traffic control plan’’ to be approved by the Roads and Maritime Service, provision of off-street parking spaces with access driveways and turning areas, and no trading between 11pm and 5am, pending a trial period of 24-hour service.
South Windsor resident Kim Smith said there was no need for another McDonald’s restaurant in the Hawkesbury.
‘‘There are already two Macca’s in the district,’’ Ms Smith said.
‘‘One at Richmond, gateway to the town centre, and the other at McGraths Hill, gateway to one of the most historic towns.
‘‘If you are really desperate for a Macca’s, there is another at Marsden Park and another at Rouse Hill.’’
But she said road safety was her main concern.
‘‘The site is dangerous; there’s no crossing and no lights,’’ Ms Smith said.
‘‘The area is mainly young families with school-age kids in Bligh Park; no way can those kids cross that main road safely.’’
Six councillors supported the fast-food outlet’s application and three opposed it. Councillors Barry Calvert and Mary Lyons-Buckett moved the matter be deferred until there was a site inspection.
‘‘The engineers had requested a lot of changes to the plan; we wanted to make sure it was done properly,’’ Councillor Calvert said.
‘‘I didn’t think it looked right; that it was rushed through.’’
He said whatever people thought of McDonald’s or whether Hawkesbury had enough such restaurants, it was important to ensure a new outlet caused as few problems as possible.
However, only Councillors Calvert, Lyons-Buckett and Patrick Conolly supported a site inspection.
Mayor Kim Ford and Councillors Mike Creed, Warwick Mackay, Bob Porter, Jill Reardon and Tiffany Tree voted against it and approved the original resolution.
Councillor Mackay said the Council-imposed conditions would make the South Windsor McDonald’s better than what was first proposed.
‘‘There needs to be a pedestrian crossing, but the RMS takes its time,’’ he said.
He also rejected assertions on social media that he was hypocritical for urging healthy eating in his role as a doctor, while approving a fast-food outlet as a councillor.
‘‘Council is not a health authority, it’s an approving authority,’’ Councillor Mackay said.
‘‘We’ve approved something that’s an appropriate development and which will provide jobs.’’
He said he understood why some people were opposed to its construction, but there was nothing in Council’s development control plan that would prevent it.
