McDonald's Hilperton protesters celebrate refusal of plan

The 'multi-million pound' new restaurant would have been built on the corner of the Hilperton Drive and Devizes Road Roundabout, on the eastern edge of Trowbridge, with the promise of more than 120 jobs for the area.

But Wiltshire Council was told of the potential for litter, increased traffic and impact on the environment by residents and has now torpedoed the plan.

One of those who protested against the plan said: “That's great news! Thanks to all the people who made this happen. A Christmas miracle.”

Wiltshire Council told the giant American fast-food chain that if it appeals the decision and loses, the local authority will apply for costs in full.

Parvis Kansari, the council’s corporate director, place, said: “As the proposal is in clear conflict with the policies of the development plan, the applicant is advised that the council believes that any appeal against this decision would have no reasonable prospect of succeeding.

“Accordingly, the applicant is advised that if an appeal is submitted, the council will be making an application for a full award of its costs incurred in dealing with the appeal based on substantive grounds.”

Local campaigners who launched the ‘McDonald’s I’m NOT Lovin it’ social media group were jubilant and hailed the decision as “brilliant” and “amazing” news.

Rachel Kingsmill, one of the group’s leaders, said: “It’s been refused. Thank you, everyone. We did it.”

South West Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison also campaigned against the proposal and formally lodged an objection to the development with Wiltshire Council.

He said: “I am delighted with this news. McDonald's did not appreciate local strength of feeling on this issue.

“Trowbridge and Hilperton are not loving it and Wiltshire Council’s not either. We’ve got a McDonald's in Trowbridge which is great but the county town doesn’t need another and definitely not there.”

Cllr Ernie Clark, the chair of Hilperton Parish Council and the local Wiltshire Council ward member, said: "It is a good result for Hilperton residents and for the wildlife on the site.

"Wiltshire Council has made the correct decision, especially when you look at the grounds for the refusal and the council has confirmed that any appeal will not succeed."

Cllr Clark said he hopes that McDonald's will now look at other sites, preferably closer to Trowbridge town centre or the vacant site at the junction of Leap Gate with the West Ashton Road which is already allocated for commercial use.

McDonald’s had applied to build the drive-thru restaurant, with car parking, landscaping works, including customer order displays and a play frame for children, on land to the east of Hilperton Drive and the A361 roundabout at Paxcroft.

Hundreds of Hilperton residents and Hilperton Parish Council objected strongly to the scheme and Trowbridge Town Council said it was against local development plans.

Protesters packed a public meeting held by Hilperton Parish Council in trhe village hall (Image: Bill Kingsmill)

But Wiltshire Council said that it had “no alternative” other than to refuse planning permission due to technical objections on the proposal’s failure as a “matter of principle” to comply with the Wiltshire Development Plan and/or the National Planning Policy Framework which sets out the government's planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied.

The council said the company “has failed to provide sufficient information to fully determine the ecological impacts, including the extent to which the proposed development would impact upon habitat types, protected/notable species which are reasonably likely to be present and affected by the development, as a consequence the application is not considered to be environmentally sustainable.”

It added: “The development conflicts with the principles of the Trowbridge Bat Mitigation Strategy and the council cannot conclude beyond reasonable scientific doubt that the proposal would not adversely impact the features of the Bath and Bradford on Avon Bats Special Areas of Conservation both alone and in combination with other plans and projects.

“The development is therefore contrary to Core Policy 50 of the Wiltshire Core Strategy and paragraphs 174 and 180 of the Framework.”

The proposed development site at Paxcroft for the McDonald's drive-thru. (Image: Bill Kingsmill)

The council also said McDonald's had failed to provide sufficient information to enable the council to fully assess the drainage aspects of the development, and, in particular, whether the scheme would result in flooding elsewhere, and had failed to provide an appropriate Flood Risk Assessment as required by policy. 

The council added: “The council is not satisfied the development proposal is acceptable pursuant to the resulting highway verge reduction which is cause for concern in highway terms."

It said the scheme failed to comply with the council’s adopted WCS core policy on BREEAM, which sets the standards for best practice in sustainable building design, construction and operation.