Fresh proposals for 24 hour McDonald’s drive-thru on Plas Coch

A fresh application for a 24 hour drive-through McDonald’s on Plas Coch has been submitted to Wrexham Council.

We first reported on the initial application in December 2019, however a further application has been lodged that attempts to deal with concerns over traffic at the site with other amendments to the original plans, with the applicant’s supplied evidence concluding, “…that the proposal would have no material impact on the operation of the road network in the vicinity of the site” and boldly stating “technical findings…should be more than sufficient to overcome the Highway Authority’s objections.”

The application still proposes that the new fast food outlet is built on the eastern corner of The Range / Argos car park on Plas Coch, just off the ‘B&Q’ roundabout and the entrance to the university and Plas Coch retail park.

The scheme comprises of a 445 sqm McDonald’s restaurant with side by side drive thru facilities. The dining area would be 90sqm with 95 seats – slightly less than previously stated. The car park would provide 29 spaces in total.

The restaurant would be accessed from via the existing Retail Park access road which also serves the Argos and The Range Stores and would be open 24 hours Monday to Sunday.

The area has seen various developments since the plans were first mooted, some planned such as the University proposals for 865 dwellings including 410 near to the Plas Coch end. On Plas Coch itself a new drive through coffee shop was planned, built and opened, something that is highlighted extensively in the application.

The similarities in the proposed McDonald’s and the permitted Costa are detailed, with “the inconsistencies in the Council’s approach to their planning applications” highlighted in the below table:

The nearby University development is also cited, “With regard to the University redevelopment proposals to the east of the proposal site, the Planning Authority judgement regarding car parking was that in accessible locations parking below the standards is not only acceptable but should be encouraged to promote sustainable travel” – this is contrasted and again branded “inconsistent” with an objection to the McDonald’s proposals made on the basis that parking was being provided below the published standards.

The proposed McDonald’s restaurant will be serviced 3 times per week by a large delivery vehicle with deliveries to the restaurant occurring overnight between 8pm and 8am “to avoid peak trading periods for the McDonald’s and the wider Retail Park”.

As in many things recently the pandemic gets a mention in planning documents, with the traffic impact of the restaurant played down by the applicant, “that background levels of growth predicted are unlikely to now materialise due the Covid-19 pandemic and the likely severe recession”.

Pedestrian access to the restaurant would be provided from the retail park, and it is proposed to modify the pedestrian link and “informal zebra crossing facility” into the restaurant entrance, due to an alteration to plans to accommodate the
delivery vehicle.

A new pedestrian link into the site would also be provided from Plas Coch Road. Further highway improvements in the vicinity of the site including a pedestrian crossing proposed on Plas Coch Road along with changes to some kerbs and pathways nearby.

A total of 30 full-time and 30 part-time jobs will be created if the drive-thru is given the go ahead.

If the restaurant is built it could also help the issues at the Chirk location, which is described as ‘overtrading’. Together with a development in Oswestry, the Wrexham plan is expected to reduce trade levels at Chirk by a total 20%.

The application gives some context of the scale of the proposed development, with it noting, “Chirk is twice as busy as expected at Wrexham”.

Councillors on the Planning Committee will assess the proposal at a future date.