Approval granted for drive-thru McDonalds on Plas Coch

Plans for a new drive-thru McDonald’s on a Wrexham retail park have been given the go ahead.

Just five councillors on the local planning committee voted to press ahead with the development, which will be located on the eastern corner of The Range / Farmfoods car park.

his was not the first time plans that plans for a McDonald’s drive-thru have got before the planning committee.

In 2021 an application for the same site was rejected after councillors argued that it would lead cause “gridlock” and exacerbate congestion in the area.

The refusal was upheld on appeal by Wales’ Planning Inspectorate in 2023. However this was on the then ongoing issues surrounding phosphates.

Speaking last year Planning Inspector Iwan Lloyd suggested that the “proposal would not harm traffic flow due to the regulated control of movement by traffic-light controlled roundabouts.”

Despite several councillors raising concerns at this evening’s meeting about the impact of traffic, litter and a lack of parking for drive-thru users the committee was told by officers that no valid grounds for refusal had been put forward.

The committee was warned that without a full reason for objection it would be difficult for the council to defend at an appeal.

The drive-thru McDonald’s will be the third in the city centre vicinity, with a long-standing takeaway and Regent Street and another on Central Retail Park.

Five councillors voted in favour of approving the plans, with three voting against and five abstaining.