McDonald’s has scrapped its controversial bid to open a restaurant in one of Sydney‘s most affluent suburbs after fierce opposition from residents, who warned the move would erode the area’s exclusive village atmosphere.

The American burger giant had proposed converting a former Westpac bank branch into a 24/7 restaurant along the bustling Willoughby Road high street in Crows Nest.

North Sydney Council emailed concerned residents on Wednesday confirming McDonald’s had withdrawn its development application.

The companys submitted its $2.6million proposal to council in May 2025, stating it would create approximately 100 jobs.

Among the complaints raised during a Wollstonecraft precinct meeting were the large, unsightly exhaust stacks proposed for the store, which residents said would emit ‘unacceptable’ smells in the heart of the suburb.

Resident Jamie Vachon, who petitioned against the application, said the Crows Nest Metro Station would be a more suitable location for a McDonald’s outlet.

‘Crows Nest residents understand that our suburb is changing,’ she said.

‘We now have a Subway, Oporto, Ogalo, El Jannah, and other chain food options.

The American burger giant had proposed converting a former Westpac bank branch into a 24/7 restaurant along the bustling Willoughby Road high street in Crows Nest.

The American burger giant had proposed converting a former Westpac bank branch into a 24/7 restaurant along the bustling Willoughby Road high street in Crows Nest. 

‘While few of us would be happy with the addition of a McDonald’s, there is nothing open 24/7 in Crows Nest, and all this proposal would do is allow drunken patrons from the Crows Nest Hotel to visit a McDonald’s around the corner rather than going home.

‘It’ll bring crime, vandalism, litter, and random delivery drivers on footpaths and streets at all hours. 

‘As well, there is an existing rodent problem behind the Crows Nest restaurants and this would have exacerbated things.

‘This is nothing but a money grab by McDonald’s with no care for the community.’

The council considers late-night trading hours a ‘privilege, not a right,’ with only the Crows Nest Hotel currently open past midnight.

McDonald’s already has restaurants nearby in North Sydney, St Leonards, and Cremorne.

Across the country, furious Aussies have been banding together to block McDonald’s aggressive plan to open 50 new outlets by the end of 2026.

Despite already operating 1,053 stores nationwide, McDonald’s latest push into neighbourhoods, from inner-city Newtown in Sydney to leafy Hendra in Brisbane, is fuelling local resistance over traffic and the loss of local identity.

The latest flashpoint is in Newtown, where a development application was recently lodged for a 24/7 outlet in a renovated late-Victorian building next to the popular, family-run Clem’s Chicken.

In May, a McDonald’s in Redfern was blocked after strong objections from police and Aboriginal organisations. A proposal for a franchise in the northern Sydney suburb of Balgowlah was also rejected by the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel over community concerns about traffic congestion and potential antisocial behaviour.

In Melbourne’s inner north, a planning proposal submitted to Darebin City Council seeking to convert a vacant site into a 24/7 McDonald’s outlet has been opposed by the community, citing concerns about preserving the area’s character.

In the Brisbane suburb of Hendra, a new McDonald’s was granted council approval in January prompting residents to raise a fighting fund to lodge a Planning and Environment Court appeal against the plans.  

It is the first time in Australia that a character residential site has been rezoned for a fast food outlet.

However, Hendra Locals Against McDonald’s spokesman Bil Moore told 4BC Brisbane last week they simply did not have the financial power to take on the fast food giant.

‘It was doomed to failure,’ he said.

‘The residents feel terribly overlooked by Brisbane City Council.

‘We clearly weren’t heard. Five houses now have a 24/7 fast food drive-through as their next-door neighbour.’

ANZ estimates Australia could have at least 30,000 quick service and fast-food outlets by 2030

ANZ estimates Australia could have at least 30,000 quick service and fast-food outlets by 2030

Moore said he believed councils ‘run scared’ of fighting McDonald’s.

‘I can’t blame them,’ he said.

‘Down in South Australia, residents fought for six years before the Safety Beach McDonald’s was finally approved.

‘This happens all over the world.

‘Taking on these fast food giants with monstrous budgets and highly skilled legal teams, that’s all they do.

‘You’re taking on the biggest fast food company in the world.’

Moore said ANZ’s Food, Beverage, and Agribusiness Insights report estimated Australia could have at least 30,000 quick service and fast-food outlets by 2030.

‘There is a wider conversation to be had in Australia, particularly in Brisbane with the Olympics coming,’ he said.

‘This could be repeated many times over, where someone in a residential property could have an unwanted neighbour.’

McDonald’s was contacted for comment.