Fast food giant McDonalds has secured planning permission for a new restaurant and drive-thru in Carrigaline as part of its ongoing expansion in Ireland.
McDonald’s Restaurants of Ireland Ltd lodged plans with Cork County Council in March to construct a new drive-thru restaurant adjacent to Aldi on Pottery Road in Carrigaline West.
The new restaurant will mark McDonalds 12th location in Cork.
The development will consist of a single-storey building, as well as car parking, including accessible parking spaces, bicycle parking and EV charging spaces.
The drive-thru will include a height restrictor, customer order points, as well as signage and digital menu boards.
Landscaping, including outdoor furniture and seating area with parasols, is also included in the plan, as well as new vehicular and pedestrian accesses onto the existing secondary road and new pedestrian access onto Pottery Road.
The approval comes despite objections from local residents, with one grandmother outlining health concerns about the Carrigaline outlet.
The resident said the outlet and the visibility of its signage could exacerbate ongoing issues related to childhood obesity and negative behaviour patterns, urging the council to consider the health implications if the development was approved.
Another resident argued that odours and emissions from the restaurant would adversely affect nearby homes and the use of gardens, adding that noise from the drive-thru ordering systems and late-night traffic would disrupt sleep and the “quiet enjoyment of residential properties.”
The same resident also argued that locating a McDonalds within close proximity to homes and schools “runs counter to Healthy Ireland goals and the HSE’s own Childhood Obesity Action Plan.”
Despite these objections, Cork County Council approved the plans, granting permission with 20 conditions.Â