THE FATE of a fast-food restaurant hoping to offer 24-hour service hangs in the balance.
An application for a new premises licence at the drive-thru McDonald’s, on Oxford Road, in New Denham, is being deliberated by Buckinghamshire Council.
APPT Corporation Limited hopes to alter service to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a drive-thru-only service commencing at 11pm.
READ MORE: Fears 24-hour McDonald's will encourage crime and noise at night
Because the restaurant closes at 11pm, a ‘Late Night Refreshment’ premises licence has until now not been needed.
Two objections have been submitted against the proposal.
Objector: 'There are fears the restaurant will become a meeting point for undesirables at night’
One feared increased noise and light. They also fear the restaurant becoming a ‘meeting point for undesirables at night’, fighting, and increased risk of burglary.
The other person fears disturbance from vehicles and people late at night. They said the thought of extending to 24-hour service is “unimaginable” in a residential area.
READ MORE: 'Changes to town development will result in loss of privacy’
APPT Corporation Limited said the franchise will have motion-activated CCTV, panic buttons, and measures – such as self-closing doors and signage – to curb noise.
Additional incentives offered to objectors include hourly patrols of the car park after 11pm, reduced lighting, and direct phone numbers for staff.
PICTURED: Google image of the Denham site
One objector said during a licensing sub-committee hearing on Tuesday (January 26) that, while the additional measures are “welcome” their main concerns about noise and light remain.
A statement read aloud by the applicant’s lawyer said: “A phone number and email address will be made available to residents to contact the store to report evidence of ASB (antisocial behaviour) within the boundary of the premises.”
At close of business members of the licensing sub-committee retired to consider the application.
It will contact interested parties directly with its decision.
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