Locals lodge numerous objections to new McDonald's drive-thru in Tipperary

Many locals in Thurles are objecting to McDonald's Ireland constructing a new drive-thru fast food restaurant on health grounds.

As part of McDonald’s expansion plans to open more than 200 restaurants across Ireland and the UK over the next four years, McDonald's Restaurants of Ireland Ltd lodged plans in late September for a new drive-thru restaurant on lands at Slievenamon Road and Thurles Relief Rd in Thurles.

However, over 20 objections have been lodged against the proposal. The objections are concerned with planning issues such as location, opening hours, and litter nuisance, while a number have raised concerns on health grounds.

One objector told the council that “as a father of two young children, I object to the development of a fast food restaurant on health grounds, particularly as we are in the midst of an obesity crisis in this country, where one in five children aged under five is obese according to a study referenced on the HSE website on October 10th, 2024.”

A spokeswoman for Mcdonald's said on Tuesday: "We are excited about the opportunity to open a new restaurant in Thurles bringing new jobs and significant investment to the local area."

Asked to comment on those objecting to the planned drive-thru on health grounds, the spokeswoman said: "Our customers are at the heart of every choice we make which is why we’ve been providing nutritional information on our menu for over 30 years.

"We continue to evolve our menu to ensure our customers can make informed decisions, with 54% of our menu now classified as non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt or sugar) and 89% of our items in our core menu containing under 500 calories.

"As a business, McDonald’s prides itself on being a good neighbour in the communities in which it operates, and we look forward to continuing to work with the Council and local residents to mitigate any concerns raised."