McDonald's revises plans for new restaurant in Chesterfield

In May, the fast-food giant submitted a planning application to Chesterfield Borough Council for a two-storey restaurant and drive-thru at the site of the former multi-storey car park on West Bars.

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After concerns were raised by the Chesterfield Cycle Campaign and Transition Chesterfield, McDonald's has now changed its planning application to include a pedestrian route from West Bars.

But Alastair Meikle, secretary of the Chesterfield Cycle Campaign, said: "We still object to this application.

"It is noted that there is now a pedestrian route from West Bars which is welcomed and three cycle parking stands.

"However, the issues of cycle access to the site have not been address and the location of the three cycle parking stands implies cyclists are still supposed to access the site from Markham Road having negotiated the West Bars roundabout.

"As a minimum we expect safe cycle access from West Bars to any cycle parking provided.

"We also note that our comments about the dangerous walkways adjacent to the car parking spaces have been ignored.

"It is very poor practice to put pedestrian walkways between the internal service road and car parking spaces.

"Children and adults will be put in a vulnerable situation with cars reversing and entering parking spaces across where they are walking.

"In our original objection we suggested a safer solution to this problem which we would have hoped the developers would have adopted."

Lisa Hopkinson, of Transition Chesterfield, added: "We welcome the pedestrian route in from West Bars but consider there should be a dedicated route for both pedestrians and cyclists that gives priority through the car park and which avoids the dangerous West Bars roundabout.

"We also maintain our fundamental objection that this facility will encourage people to drive through Chesterfield without stopping - when there is an existing McDonald's less than a mile away - which undermines the town centre viability and vitality.

"This appears to be an inappropriate facility for a gateway location."

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65 new jobs promised

In a transport statement submitted on behalf of McDonald's, ADL Traffic and Highways Engineering Ltd said: "There is a good provision of pedestrian accessibility to the site and therefore it can be concluded that the site is accessible by walking and cycling."

A McDonald's spokesperson told the Derbyshire Times: "We believe the new restaurant would bring significant investment to the local community as well as creating at least 65 new full and part-time jobs."

There are currently two McDonald's restaurants in Chesterfield - on Low Pavement and at the Alma Leisure Park.

The former multi-storey car park on West Bars was demolished in 2015.

It had not been in use since 2013.

The planning application will be considered by the council on a date yet to be determined.