McDonald's wanted to bring the Golden Arches to Wānaka. Photo / 123rf
Plans to build Wānaka’s first McDonald’s restaurant have been thrown out.
An application to bring the global fast-food giant to the small resort town was declined by Queenstown Lakes District Council today.
More than 100 submitters planned to speak at a four-day hearing for the consent application in November last year.
Overall, 366 submissions were made to the council with only 21 in support of the proposal.
A petition against a McDonald’s in Wānaka also attracted more than 6000 signatures, almost a year after it was launched.
It claimed that the international food giant was responsible for extensive food waste and pollution – and that it didn’t belong in Wānaka.
“Additionally, McDonald’s will take away business and staff from local businesses, directing profit out of Wānaka,” wrote the petition’s creator, Sarah Morrison.
The abandoned McDonald’s would have been a 445sq m restaurant, complete with a drive-through, seating for 75 diners and parking for 24 cars.
It would have welcomed visitors arriving in Wānaka through the Mt Iron Junction subdivision off the SH6/SH84 roundabout.
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