Plans submitted to build new McDonald’s drive-thru on site of motorbike showroom in Cradley Heath
Plans have been submitted to demolish a motorbike showroom in Cradley Heath for a new McDonald’s drive-thru.
Fast food giant McDonald’s wants to replace the Cradley Kawasaki showroom and workshop in St Anne’s Road, Cradley Heath, with a new restaurant and drive-thru.
The plans also include a waiting area for delivery drivers and a 30-space car park.
The drive-thru would sit opposite Little Explorers Day Nursery.
A statement included with the application by McDonald’s said: “The proposal would see the redevelopment of a previously developed site providing employment opportunities during both the construction and operational stages.
“In particular, the proposal would generate… 70 full-time equivalent jobs together with training opportunities and other benefits for the local community at the operational stage. These would be in a readily accessible location, available to local people.
“The economic and social benefits that would be delivered by the proposal attract substantial weight when determining this planning application.
“Together with the environmental enhancements that would be delivered on-site, the benefits are considered to outweigh the conflict with the allocated status of the site for residential use in the adopted development plan.”
The site had been included for housing in the Sandwell Local Plan – a council blueprint which sets out where new homes and employment land will be built in the borough until 2041.
The local plan is currently being reviewed and the site has now been changed to potential employment land.
The application’s planning statement continues: “The absence of any progress in terms of delivering a residential development on the site since 2012 is symptomatic of the site’s lack of viability for such a use – an issue that the council is understood to be cognitive of given the change in policy now intended for the site through the draft Sandwell Local Plan.
“The site was previously considered for a residential development by the vendor, however, investigations aided by their appointed architect at the time confirmed that a residential development in this location would not be financially viable.
“It is important to note that sustained efforts have been made by the vendor to bring the site forward for residential development in line with the adopted allocation.
“The site has been actively marketed for a residential use for in excess of 12 months, however, no meaningful interest has been received.”
