Hendra residents plan to raise $100k to appeal Maccas plan near primary school

Residents in a Brisbane suburb say the approval of a McDonald’s sets an alarming precedent.

Hendra residents are angry that council has approved a McDonald’s near a primary school in a character area. Picture: Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP

Northsiders say the approval of controversial plans for a new McDonald’s in Hendra sets an alarming precedent, claiming it is the first time in Australia that a character residential site has been rezoned for a fast food outlet.

They have set up a gofundme page to raise $100,000 to fight the approval of the rezoning application, which attracted 445 submissions. Only nine were in favour.

“McDonald’s and Wendy’s have both said they want to expand at pace in Australia,’’ Hendra Locals Against McDonald’s spokesman Bill Moore said.

“It’s clear part of the McDonald’s strategy is to open sites near schools.

“Community members are struggling to see how this thing got through when there are so many concerning elements.

“But there was almost a sense of inevitability (at the approval). We were not getting a good feeling despite support from (local state LNP MP) Tim Nicholls and (local Greens federal MP) Stephen Bates.’’

Mr Moore, a former CEO of Fitness Australia, said the site was within walking distance to schools.

It was also bounded by five residential properties in a character zone.

“Our legal advice was that this is the first time in Australia a residential property in a character zone has been signed off for (a material change of use for) fast food,’’ he said.

The site owner has 20 business days following the January 22 council approval to lodge an appeal.

After that expires, residents then have another 20 days to lodge an appeal.

“It’s a tight time frame and we are calling for help from town planners, lawyers and engineers,’’ he said.

Denise Howard and son Jock, 7, outside the Hertz car depot on Nudgee Rd last year. A McDonald’s is planned for the site. Picture, John Gass

There has been a growing backlash against the proliferation of fast food outlets in areas with obesity problems, such as Springfield, and in character areas such as Ashgrove where that suburb’s first McDonald’s was approved just weeks before the state election.

Mr Moore said locals were not against McDonald’s, per se, but were deeply concerned about the Hendra proposal because of traffic, crime, noise, odour and light pollution impacts on about 800 people who lived in the area, as well as its closeness to schools.

“Gerler (road) and Nudgee (road) is also already a very difficult intersection,’’ he said.

“Cars trying to turn right into Nudgee Rd will be held up even more than they already are by people trying to get into the drive-through for a McFeast.’’

Another major concern was that fast food outlets tended to cluster together, he said.

If the McDonald’s was approved, he feared it would be almost impossible to object to other fast food proposals on adjacent sites.

There were already two within a short driving distance.

Aerial view of the site, which is bounded on five sides by houses.

However town planners for the site owners, Urbis, said the 2120sq/m site had been used for non-residential businesses since the 1960s, most recently a Hertz rental car storage area.

At the first “pre-lodgement’’ meeting with council, in July 2022, McDonald’s proposed a full-scale restaurant spread over two lots.

“The proposed development underwent several design iterations in response to feedback received from council,’’ Urbis said.

“The primary changes involved reducing the scale of the built form and intensity of proposed operations.’’

After the second meeting in January last year McDonald’s agreed to scale the project back to a drive-through facility only, on one lot, with a smaller floor area and minimal parking.

It also axed plans for car access from Nudgee Rd, with all vehicle movements now planned to be only via Gerler Rd.

There would be more, tiered landscaping and soundproof fences along all boundaries.

Artist's impression of how the Maccas could look.

Airconditioners and cooking emissions would be positioned as far as possible from adjoining houses.

The project would include a dual-lane drive-through with one waiting bay and queuing for up to 12 cars, plus eight staff and three delivery parking spaces.

“Unlike a typical McDonald’s restaurant, which features a 450sq/m floor plate with inside dining, takeaway and drive-through options, the scale of the proposed development has

been significantly reduced (to 65 per cent of the standard size),’’ Urbis said.

A traffic report by consultants Lambert & Rehbein said it would generate 180 trips in the weekday evening and weekend midday peak hours, but stated that the Nudgee/Gerler intersection would remain below capacity until at least 2035.

Urbis said there would be no net loss of housing.

The usage was consistent with the area and similar to the Hertz depot, as cars frequently came and went from that business.

For more details go to council’s online development application portal developmenti. Search for 330 Nudgee Rd or application A006543699

Originally published as Hendra residents plan to raise $100k to appeal Maccas plan near primary school