McDonald’s have updated their planning application to build a 24-hour drive-thru restaurant adjacent to Tongham Services on the A331, wholly within the Tice’s Meadow and Tongham Ponds Site of Nature Conservation Interest.
The planning application, first submitted in November 2023, has attracted 172 objections on the Guildford Borough Council planning portal (23/P/01831). An online petition against the proposed development has attracted over 6,800 signatures: https://chng.it/vJ5FTgLYBp
After failing to do so until prompted by the Environment Agency and local groups, McDonald’s have commissioned an ecological appraisal of the impact of constructing a surface water outflow from the proposed restaurant to the River Blackwater. Construction of the outflow would include the clearing of 2.5m wide haul routes through grassland, dense scrub and wet woodland in the “ecological area” that has just been finished to offset the biodiversity losses associated with the Tongham Services. The work will also involve the clearing of circa 156m2 of grassland for drilling, and circa 23m2 of wet woodland for construction of the outflow headwall in the riverbank.
Two surveys undertaken on behalf of McDonald’s in September 2024 and January 2025 found 10 active Water Vole burrows and 3 active Water Vole runs within a 40m stretch of the River Blackwater, either side of the proposed outflow location, with one burrow found within 4m.
McDonald’s ecological appraisal states they propose to re-survey the site for Water Voles 48 hours before construction commences. If any active burrows are found and the location of the outflow cannot be moved to allow at least 5m clearance from any burrow, they propose to re-locate the Water Voles and potentially destroy their burrows, under a government license.
Water Voles are one of the fastest declining mammal species within the UK, with up to 90% of the population lost since the 1970s. Britain’s largest vole species, they are charismatic creatures with a round face, blunt nose, short furry tail, and glossy dark fur. Despite his misleading name, “Ratty” in the “Wind in the Willows” was a Water Vole.
Water Voles are included on the list of “Species of Principal Importance in England” under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act; listed as “endangered” on the Red List of England’s Mammals; and listed as a “Priority Species” under the Farnham Biodiversity Action Plan. Water Voles are protected by law under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
McDonald’s ecologists also recorded twenty-one bird species within the proposed construction areas. Fourteen breeding species were recorded, including: Song Thrush and Bullfinch – both Amber Listed by the Birds of Conservation Concern, and National and Local Priority Species. In 2023 a male Nightingale (Red Listed) was recorded by numerous birdwatchers singing (marking his breeding territory) in the same area of scrub that McDonald’s propose to clear.
McDonald’s ecological appraisal also identified potential negative effects on local bat populations associated with construction of the outflow, including the potential loss of two mature trees with “high suitability” for bat roosts.
The updated planning application only stiffens our resolve that this is a highly inappropriate development that will undoubtedly lead to significant negative impacts on local biodiversity.
We encourage all who share our concerns to sign the petition and object to the planning application.
Stop McDonald’s at Tice’s Meadow