Busy Lake Haven McDonald’s lodges upgrade plans with no update on controversial Toukley site
One of the NSW coast’s busiest McDonald’s has lodged plans for a supersized upgrade, while a controversial proposal for a new golden arches to be built nearby remains on standby.
Central Coast
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Fast food giant McDonald’s Australia has lodged supersized plans to upgrade its busy Lake Haven restaurant including a new dining area, a roof over a new-look play space and an overall face lift.
It comes as controversial plans to build a new McDonald’s eatery at nearby Toukley appear to have all but stalled almost a year to the date from when they were first lodged.
Lake Haven McDonald’s is one of the busiest on the Central Coast with a development application (DA) lodged with council for a completely new internal fit-out that will increase capacity by 34 seats.
As part of the DA, McDonald’s plan to demolish the existing playground, drive through canopies, some walls and the internal dining and kitchen areas.
In their place will be a new play area for children with a fixed roof, new drive through canopies and completely reconfigured dining and kitchen areas.
The upgrade will increase the restaurant’s ground floor area to almost 500sq m and boast 34 additional seats, as well as a host of new and illuminated signs “in accordance with McDonald’s branding and colour scheme”.
According to the DA, the opening hours, parking and staff numbers will remain the same.
“The primary purpose of this proposal is to improve the efficiency of the existing operation, which will in turn enhance the service for patrons of Lake Haven McDonald’s,” the DA states.
“The McDonald’s operation will continue to trade during the construction works, when and where possible.”
The addition of more seats sees the restaurant fall 16.5 parking spaces short of what is generally required under the site’s planning controls.
However McDonald’s reviewed 30 aerial images of the site over the past five years taken by aerial mapping company NearMap and concluded there has been an “oversupply of carparking” given the most its ever had at one time was 26 cars.
The DA, which remains with Central Coast Council for determination, states this equates to about 47 per cent of available spaces.
Meanwhile separate plans to build a new McDonald’s restaurant down the road in the heart of Toukley are expected to go before the Local Planning Panel some time later this year after receiving close to 400 public submissions.
Plans for the greenfield site, next to Aldi on Main Rd opposite Toukley Public School, were lodged with council on January 12 last year — but save for an avalanche of public opposition — have scarcely progressed since.
The DA for that proposal included a 24-hour, two-storey restaurant, large inside playground and 18-car dual lane drive-through.
A council spokeswoman said the application remains under assessment.
“A significant number of written objections (several hundred) have been received to the public consultation for the development application,” a council spokesman said.
“In addition, a petition against the proposal has also been received.
“Given the significant number of objections, that application will be required to be referred to the Central Coast Local Planning Panel. No specific date has been set for the application to be referred to the panel.”
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