![\"Artistic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/88f53c7ffd3aab3e4470f9301fb09dde.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nMore than 4,100 people have signed a petition opposing a proposal to build a McDonald’s 200 metres away from a primary school on Phillip Island.<\/p>\n
The fast food giant has lodged a planning permit application with the Bass Coast Shire to build a new restaurant at the tourist hotspot in Cowes, which has a population of 6,593.<\/p>\n
The proposal has raised the ire of thousands of residents who are concerned about traffic and the restaurant’s effect on local biodiversity.<\/p>\n
The proposed site is currently home to a petrol station and a vacant plot of land.<\/p>\n
Phillip Island Progress Association secretary Peter McMahon said the group was also worried about having a McDonald’s 200 metres away from Cowes Primary School.<\/p>\n
“It’s a safety factor,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It’s busy when you’ve got pick-up and drop-off, and it’s going to make the intersection of Thompson Avenue and Settlement Road extremely dangerous.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An artistic render of the proposed McDonald’s restaurant on the corner of Thompson Avenue and Settlement Road on Phillip Island.\u00a0 (Supplied: Planning application)<\/p>\n
The proposal comes two months after Phillip Island lost the Australian MotoGP race, prompting calls for economic support for businesses on the island<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fight to protect ‘globally significant’ place<\/p>\n An online petition calling for the Bass Coast Shire Council to reject the plans has received more than 4,100 signatures.<\/p>\n “Saying no to a McDonald’s in Cowes on Phillip Island isn’t about hating burgers, it’s about protecting what makes this place globally significant and uniquely local,” the petition, which was started by James Ahern, reads.<\/p>\n Phillip Island currently has a number of fast-food chains including Subway and La Porchetta.<\/p>\n “What we’re saying is that council must have a proper consultation process where they consult with the residents of the island and get their yes or no for it to go ahead,” Mr McMahon said.<\/p>\n The plan has found a supporter in Michael Wright, the director of South Coast Bus and Taxi.<\/p>\n Tourism and hospitality businesses in Cowes rely on the annual MotoGP. (Supplied: Bass Coast Shire Council)<\/p>\n Mr Wright said the restaurant could be a “positive thing” for youth employment on the island.<\/p>\n “McDonald’s has a fantastic track record \u2026 employment of youth, consistency of hours,” he said.<\/p>\n “As a parent of three young boys, there’s not a lot of options.<\/p>\n The proposed plans for the McDonald’s restaurant on Phillip Island are now with the Bass Coast Shire Council for consideration.\u00a0 (Supplied: Planning application)<\/p>\n “A lot of kids, unless they do a trade, tend to go off to university for jobs and they never come back. We need more opportunities in that regards.”<\/p>\n The application is before the Bass Coast Shire Council, with documents and plans on display across the region for public viewing.<\/p>\n Resistance not uncommon<\/p>\n Elizabeth Taylor, a senior lecturer of urban planning and development at Monash University, said Australia had a long history of pushing back against the development of fast-food restaurants such as McDonald’s.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f1b2d9aaebe2efaefe46b7ec8a95a7f7.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/78dc9cf18a4ca9c8db5fa52d9ace2bae.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n