Plan in for fast-food restaurant and drive-through

Global fast-food giant McDonald's has submitted plans to build a new restaurant and drive-through service.

The scheme for Honiton in east Devon would see the demolition of the Vauxhall Eden site, which dealt with commercial vehicles, and the building of a 59-seat restaurant with 30 car parking spaces.

The fast-food chain said it had discussed the "multi-million pound investment" in two pre-application meetings with East Devon District Council.

A spokesperson for McDonald's said the restaurant would bring "significant investment to the local area" and would deliver up to 120 full and part-time jobs.

Vauxhall Eden, which is on Heathpark Industrial Estate, had wanted to close the showroom and redeploy its staff elsewhere, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The application suggested the new restaurant would be a 24-hour site, open seven days a week.

Documents showed there was an historic approval of an unbuilt access road to the rear of the site, and McDonald's has said this or a similar access would need to be completed to make the site viable for its plans.

The proposal outlined indoor and outdoor seating, and potentially play equipment for young children.

In the planning documents McDonald's said the restaurant would provide a "supporting role" for nearby workers.

The fast-food firm said: "It is widely recognised that restaurants and coffee shops provide a flexible and varied opportunity for local workforces to source meals, food and refreshments throughout the day, providing for both traditional working hours, but also for night shift workers, such as the emergency services."

Its facilities could also be used as meeting spaces for businesses, McDonald's added.

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