There's a strong appetite for McDonalds to maintain an environmentally and "socially responsible" standard when it arrives in Wānaka, a community leader says.
By Adam Burns of RNZ
The fast food giant was finally given the green light to develop a 450 square-metre 24-hour restaurant and drive-through in the Otago town.
On Thursday, the Queenstown-Lakes District Council finalised its decision to grant resource consent for a McDonalds at the commercial precinct Three Parks on Sir Tim Wallis Drive.
It follows a previous failed bid to obtain clearance to build a restaurant in rural zoning, along a highway passage into the township below Mt Iron - plans that were met with overwhelming resistance from locals.
Almost 93% of the 366 public submissions opposed the initial application.
Key concerns included the visual and aesthetic impact on the town, litter, as well as the area's values about protecting the natural environment.
Commissioners declined the application in February last year.
The latest proposal was approved on a non-notified basis under the Resource Management Act, meaning public consultation was refused.
Queenstown-Lakes deputy mayor Quentin Smith said some concerns remained.
"There's no question that McDonalds generates a lot of litter, probably more than most food providers. That remains a concern for a lot of people," he said.
"We just hope that when they do come here they're socially responsible operators and they do work hard to keep that under control.
"I've seen it firsthand, a large distance around a McDonalds site you see litter and all sorts."
Waste management had been raised as a concern by disgruntled community groups during earlier public submissions.
In his decision, council senior planner Ian Bayliss said the issue of waste generation effects generated from the proposal on the wider environment were considered to be "no more than minor".
Relocating the planned site into a commercial zone went a long way in allaying other concerns, Smith said.
"The visibility and the character of Mt Iron and the entrance to Wānaka on a rural site were legitimate things that were considered under that previous application. They were largely the reasons it failed," he said.
In a statement, McDonalds said it was pleased to be granted resource consent at Three Parks.
"We will now move on to the next stage of development and construction planning. As it stands, we are hopeful of opening the McDonald's Wānaka restaurant in the next 12 months," a spokesperson said.
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