Plans for 24-hour Maccas on Council’s packed agenda including funds for new CCS museum exhibition
A proposal for a 24-hour McDonald’s at a Coffs shopping centre will be considered by Councillors on Thursday. Also on the agenda will be funding for two permanent museum exhibitions in the new Cultural and Civic Space.
Coffs Harbour
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A proposal for a 24-hour McDonald’s at Toormina will be considered by Councillors on Thursday evening.
It’s the first Coffs Harbour City Council meeting in four weeks due to the public holidays over the Easter period and it’s a packed agenda.
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.
The estimated cost of the development is $3.5m.
While the proposal is for the 58-seat outlet to operate 24-hours, seven days a week, a report before Councillors recommends imposing a condition restricting hours from 6am to 11pm seven days a week.
The proposal has drawn some strong opposition from locals concerned about odour and increased noise and the potential it will become a hangout for people late at night.
With the nearby Toormina Hotel closing at midnight it’s hoped an 11pm closing time at the fast food outlet will eliminate some of these concerns.
The development application was on public exhibition from July 30 to August 13 with Council receiving 81 submissions.
In addition to the concerns over noise and odour, residents say the increased traffic will cause unacceptable congestion and risks to pedestrians, but the report before Councillors says the road network is up to the task, and that the proposal includes adequate provision of on-site parking.
Plans show 29 on-site carparking spaces.
The Toormina Gardens Shopping Centre is home to three major retail tenants (Woolworths, Coles and Kmart), two minor tenants (Best & Less and Dollar Tree) and 43 specialty retailers.
The new fast food restaurant will be operated by The Munro Group which operates six outlets spanning from Grafton to Nambucca Heads and currently employs approximately 750 people.
David Munro, local franchisee and Director of the Munro Group told the Advocate in June last year that the Toormina Gardens restaurant had the potential to bring in more than 100 new jobs to the Coffs Coast region.
Also on the agenda will be funding options for the two permanent museum exhibitions being planned for the combined museum/gallery on the ground floor of the Cultural and Civic Space building (CCS):
– Stories of Coffs social history exhibition (225 square metres); and
– Welcome to Country Gumbaynggirr exhibition (48 square metres).
The existing Coffs Harbour Regional Museum at 215A Harbour Drive currently has just 3.5 per cent of its collection on display.
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