McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant plans on Southampton Road, Fareham are delayed due to traffic safety concerns.

The planning committee members, on April 9, at Fareham Borough Council voted to defer the decision on McDonald’s Restaurant Ltd plans to build a drive-thru restaurant on land near the junction of Southampton Road and Farm Road.

McDonald’s wants to build a two-storey freestanding restaurant with drive-thru, car parking and landscaping that would be open between 6am to 11pm daily.

Hundreds of residents objected to the new McDonald’s, including concerns claiming the fast food franchise would make roads too dangerous for children during the council’s public consultation. 

However, members said it is a brownfield employment site and McDonald’s is an appropriate business, but agreed that there were fears over road safety, said Councillor Ian Bastable (Con, Park Gate).

Customers will enter and exit the site via a new road layout on Farm Road. A road that accesses the Air Cadet Club next to the site and there are homes nearby.

As a consultee, Hampshire Highways had no objections and agreed with the road improvements put forward by the developer. However, the committee wants Hampshire Highways to reconsider the issue of car road safety again.

Councillor Jacquie Needham (Con, Stubbington) said the road is currently a “nightmare” and Cllr Bastable said he wanted traffic lights at the turning.

Members’ concerns included the legal and illegal u-turning that happens along the Southampton Road near Farm Road, the car manoeuvrings near the houses and the impact on the petrol station business nearby.

While plans show a pedestrian crossing will be installed across the dual carriageway, committee members said while it might slow traffic, cars u-turning was still a concern.

Councillor Steve Dugan (Con, Hill Head) said the road layout with cars turning into the drive-thru is a problem. He said while teaching at the air cadet’s club, cars turning right across Southampton Road, would boot across two lanes of traffic. He said the proposed entrance gives cars the opportunity to go across the traffic and not u-turn further up.

Resident Courtney Hartley who lives next to the site said, the A27 is a very dangerous place to cross with lorries concerned about the increased traffic the restaurant would bring and children not being able to play outside. She spoke of the tragic death of Ben Mundy, an 11-year-old boy who died after being struck by two cars trying to cross the A27 Southampton Road in 2019.

Seven members of the committee voted to defer the decision, with one objection and one abstention.