Revealed: Council votes on fast food proposal

“It’s not a surprise to us there are youth in Toormina who get about who don’t have any expectations on their behaviour,” said one woman who spoke at the Coffs Harbour City Council meeting urging Crs to reject the proposal.

The Toormina proposal was rejected.

A proposal for a 24-hour McDonald’s at Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre was rejected by Coffs Harbour City Councillors on Thursday evening.

A report before Councillors was recommending it be approved with the condition hours be reduced to 6am to 11pm seven days a week but this was not enough to get it across the line.

Cr Keith Rhoades raised a motion that the proposal be rejected outright even with the reduced operating hours and Mayor Denise Knight seconded this.

The fast-food proposal has been in the pipeline for years. In September last year a $1.5m reconfiguration of the Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre carpark was approved to accommodate the outlet.

A McDonald's is proposed for Toormina.

Kerry Stichbury from Toormina Preschool addressed the meeting, speaking against the proposal.

She said the area was notorious for “anti-social” behaviour and that McDonald’s would make the situation much worse but that her prime concern was the impact on traffic.

“It’s not a surprise to us that there are youth in Toormina that get about who don’t have any expectations on their behaviour,” Ms Stichbury said.

The preschool has already installed “high fences with spikes on top” but, unlike the Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre, cannot employ security guards to protect the school grounds.

Owner operator Dave Munro spoke for the proposal saying he was born and bred in Coffs Harbour.

“I started by McDonald’s journey as a 15-year-old employed in Coffs Harbour’s first McDonald’s restaurant in 1985,” Mr Munro said.

Cr Tegan Swan said there was much evidence showing that low socio economic communities can be targeted for fast food restaurants and asked Mr Munro why Toormina was identified in this instance.

“We don’t want to divulge the trade secrets of McDonald’s in a Council meeting but the locations we currently have are several kilometres away,” Mr Munro said.

“There is a large population area in Toormina and Sawtell and it’s clear to us we could better service this community.”

Toormina Gardens logo. 27 JULY 2018

Cr Rhoades urged his fellow Councillors to support his motion to reject the proposal, speaking of the impact on traffic saying “you cannot increase the width of Toormina Road” and that there was already a well known problem with anti-social behaviour in the area.

“I have a history within this Council of supporting developments that create jobs and create value for the local economy and feel a little bit like I am going against that.”

Cr Michael Adendorff was in favour of approving the development saying “McDonald’s is not evil.”

Cr Keith Rhoades.

Cr Rhoades was keen to point out he never implied McDonald’s was evil but rather he saw the company as a “great corporate community member.”

Mayor Denise Knight said she knew the area very well and implored her fellow Crs to reject the proposal.

“I live down there and I know the area very well but I am sorry it’s in the wrong place.”

Crs Swan and Townley supported the motion by Crs Rhoades and Knight to reject the proposal outnumbering Crs Adendorff and George Cecato who wanted to see it go ahead.

Cr Paul Amos declared a pecuniary interest and did not vote and Cr John Arkan was absent.