BREAKING: Application for McDonald's in major Tipperary town approved

The application for a McDonald’s restaurant to be built in Thurles has been approved by Tipperary County Council.

The decision was confirmed on Monday, April 14, on a conditional basis, with one of the conditions being that the facility can only operate between the hours of 6am and 10pm.

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Among the other requirements set by the Council are measures to control light pollution, including limitations on external lighting to minimize light spills beyond the site’s perimeter.

Additionally, all electrical cabling must be installed underground.

Other stipulations involve guidelines for signage, surface water drainage, ventilation systems, fencing design, noise control, and protection of nearby trees along the River Walk during construction.

The premises was approved for a site on Slievenamon Road, Thurles, across from Lidl, and on the road where a relief road for the town is also set to be constructed.

The development will consist of a single storey drive-thru restaurant including the ancillary sale of hot food for consumption off the premises with an associated corral area, elevational signage, modifications to existing vehicular access off the Thurles Relief Road.

The plans include car parking including accessible parking spaces, grill bays, EV charging spaces, bicycle parking, a height restrictor, customer order points with associated canopies, totem signage, free-standing signage, banner frames and digital menu boards.

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Also included in the plans are an ESB substation and kiosk, landscaping including outdoor furniture/seating area with parasols, boundary treatments, lighting, and all associated site and engineering works necessary to facilitate the development.

This facility will become the fifth McDonald's in the county following last year's opening of a Nenagh location.

News of the proposal for the popular fast-food chain to open a premises in Thurles was met with a large amount of pushback from locals in the Thurles area, many of whom lodged official formal complaints via the County Council website.

One major complaint echoed by many who issued complaints was noise pollution, with one individual saying: “As outlined in the impact statement my residence falls within the inner circle and will be greatly affected by the residual noise from not only the building of the structure but also the increased volume of traffic that will frequent the premises. As I have two small children I believe that this will affect them. Trucks will use the access across Clongour and will no doubt cause issues and increase the noise level. The safety of our children is our greatest concern.”

Anti-social behaviour was another issue raised in the complaints, with one person saying: “The proposed development also has the potential to draw anti-social behaviour to the area
particularly late at night when pubs and night clubs close. It should be noted that similar
drive-thrus located in Cashel, Fermoy and Roscrea are based away from residential areas.”

Many who lodged a complaint took issue with another take-away restaurant joining the town, with both health concerns and over-concentration of take-away establishments being cited as concerns for their complaints.

One individual said: “The Town of Thurles is already serviced by the following Take Away / Fast Food outlets: Liberty Square/Slievenamon Road: 3 Fast Food outlets (Supermacs, Mona Lisa, Roma Pizzeria, 1 Apache take away, 1 Indian Take Away Friar Street/Baker Street: 2 Pizza Take Away, 1 Kebabish Take Away, 1 Chinese Restaurant/Take Away, 1 Indian Take Away. Parnell Street: 1 Thai Restaurant/Take Away, 1 Chinese Take Away Cathedral Street: 1 Fast Food Take Away, 1 Chinese Take Away Kickham Street: 1 Fast Food Take Away. Slievenamon Road: 1 Indian Restaurant/Take Away.

“To allow a further Fast Food Restaurant with Drive Thru and with Take Away would surely represent bad planning and policy by Tipperary County Council attention from Gardaí stationed at Thurles Garda Station on Slievenamon Road.”

Many also took issue with the location of the proposed restaurant, given the area of the town in which construction is due to take place is a largely residential area.

One individual said: “The proposed development is located with established residential areas to the west and south of the site, which were built in the 1950’s and 60’s. While we are not against development in this area, overall the proposed development of a 24/7 drive-thru restaurant in this site is inappropriate.

“The proposed development is also in contrast to the Thurles & Environs Local Area Plan
2024 – 2030 which identifies Slievenamon Road as part of the ‘Primary Retail Area’ and
notes that the Tipperary County Council’s policy is to ‘resist the proliferation of
takeaways … within the Primary Retail Area’.”

Traffic congestion was also a major cause for concern among those lodging complaints, with one individual saying: “This development will generate significantly increased traffic, particularly along the already busy N62 Slievenamon Road, leading to increased congestion at peak hours, especially during school and work commute times. The area already experiences traffic build-up, and the addition of drive-thru customers queuing will exacerbate existing delays. Safety risks to pedestrians and cyclists, particularly those using the riverside walk and nearby footpaths. The increased number of vehicles turning into and exiting the drive-thru poses a direct risk to pedestrians attempting to cross at this location. Greater risk of accidents at the nearby Lidl junction and the relief road intersection, as vehicles attempting to enter or exit the McDonald’s site could cause bottlenecks or sudden stops, increasing collision risks. Concerns over emergency vehicle access, as increased congestion may make it more difficult for ambulances, fire trucks, or Garda vehicles to navigate through the area efficiently. Traffic assessment uses UK-based data (TRICS) rather than local Irish traffic counts, making it unreliable for Thurles-specific conditions. The peak hour figures indicate 190 additional car trips per hour, exacerbating congestion and pollution. No clear contingency plan for queuing vehicles spilling onto the main road, which is a common issue at other McDonald’s locations.”

The project carries a development levy of €10,533.

Members of the public have the right to appeal the Council’s decision to An Bord Pleanála within four weeks.