🚫 McDonald’s 24-Hour Application update

Application refused over likely rise to unacceptable noise and disturbance

🚫 McDonald’s 24-Hour Application update

Swindon Borough Council has refused the application for McDonald’s at Orbital Retail Park to open 24 hours a day.

📄 Official refusal reason:

“The development proposed is likely to give rise to unacceptable noise and disturbance during unsociable hours of the late evening and overnight into the early morning. The submitted Noise Assessment (and its Addendum) has not conclusively demonstrated that noise and disturbance from the proposed unrestricted operating hours can be controlled to a point where there is no significant loss of residential amenity for existing receptors at adjacent residential properties. Therefore the proposed development is likely to lead to noise emissions that would adversely affect local residential amenity, contrary to Policies DE1 and EN7 of the Swindon Borough Local Plan 2026 as well as section 15 of the National Planning Policy Framework.”

📚 Key planning policies cited:

• Policy DE1 – Design and amenity

• Policy EN7 – Pollution and emissions

• Section 15 – National Planning Policy Framework (protecting residential amenity)

🏡 Community engagement:

• 26 households contacted me to share their views

• Residents submitted comments both for and against the proposal

• Concerns about late-night noise and disturbance were a consistent theme

🙌 Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say. Resident engagement played a real part in ensuring local voices were heard.

🤝 I remain open to constructive discussions with McDonald’s about future plans that support business without harming the quality of life for nearby residents.