We are a group of residents in the houses neighbouring the Loch Fyne Restaurant site and are concerned of the implications to the neighbouring residents of Gavell Road, The Northfield Estate, Matthew Arnold Close and Bridgeway, as well as the wider Cobham community, that the proposed development will have. 

The area needs a community hub, promoting social, mental and emotional wellbeing for residents, McDonalds is the direct contrast of that. Cobham Combined Charities approached the managing agents of the site regarding buying the site for charitable use, but it was declined. Instead it has been left vacant.  It was purchased for £17 000 000 in 2015 by the Wellington Pub Company which is owned by private equity investors, the Reuben Brothers. It is worth noting that McDonalds does already have an outlet in Cobham, at the M25 services, it is also proposing to open an outlet in nearby Leatherhead which, as a busy town, would be a far more suitable location.

OBESITY

We are facing an obesity crisis in the UK, this is being fuelled by highly processed and fast food and is well documented. This is often cheaper than healthier options and is therefore more likely to be eaten by those on lower incomes.There is evidence showing that the availability of takeaway food is associated with obesity.  We are paying sugar tax on our groceries, schools are restricted on what they are allowed to serve children, retailers are governed on how and where they place high fat, salt and sugar stock. McDonald's highly processed food, with high fat, salt and sugar have enormous, eye catching signage,  here it will be unavoidable. 

McDonalds are more likely to build in lower socio economic areas; the Northfield Estate is the lowest scio economic demographic in Cobham, and one of the lowest in Surrey. They are intentionally targeting this group, which is a demographic susceptible to obesity because of food cost. 

This proposed site is also close to six schools, the closest only 0.3 miles away. Many students at each school pass this site daily. Pupils taking buses start and end their journey by the Painshill Firestation, less than 100 m from the site. This feels very much like exploitation of children.

TRAFFIC

The roundabout by Sainsbury's petrol station and the Painshill roundabout are already extremely busy, with queues forming regularly to enter or leave Cobham; additionally it can be challenging to enter or leave the petrol station. An increase traffic coming from the A3 probably from 6 to 12 if not 24/7 is going to make this far worse. The additional traffic also impacts pedestrians and increases the risk for those crossing the Portsmouth Road, these are mostly children, elderly and vulnerable residents. The carpark is not easy to navigate and, for people grabbing a takeaway,  it is foreseeable that many will park in adjacent roads or along the Portsmouth road, not only will they be a nuisance to neighbours, they will be a hindrance to the fire service who already have difficulty with inconsiderate traffic. Local traffic will consider cutting through the estate, which is already busy and used as a rat run, endangering the children who live and play here. Furthermore there will be the deliveroo/ just eat mopeds who are notorious for their lack of consideration in Walton-on-Thames; blocking roads and paths.

All of this will increase emissions, and be harmful to health and the environment. 

INCREASE FOOTFALL

There will be an increase in the number of people coming to the site, those will also be pedestrians, many will be young people. This will increase noise later in the evenings for residents. The
Northfield Estate has a system of alleyways behind the houses, which already has an element of antisocial behavior, this proposal potentially increases that as more people will frequent the area than do already. 

LITTER

McDonalds only uses single use packaging, which is discarded. It is common to see MacDonalds wrappers in the environment, despite placing bins in their car parks and by their entrances there is always litter present in any location where there is a McDonalds. The propsed 150 m radius for their litter clearance will not be adequate for those taking food away, either eating on the go, in the local parks or nature spots, not only is it unsightly, it is a hazard to wildlife. Yet even more litter will be dropped on the A3 verges and the Painshill roundabout, this is already a hazard to those working on the roads, with signage to confirm how dangerous it is. 
With litter also comes vermin, we will have an increase in rats in the surrounding area and the public health risks they bring.

ENVIRONMENT 

As already mentioned the increased traffic is a concern.  The single use packaging ending up in landfill because much of it won't be able to be recycled because of it's use and being in an unfit state. Surfers Against Sewage consistantly list McDonalds in the top 3 of the dirtiest corporations.

McDonalds is also one of the highest producers of carbon emissions because of their food production. They are responsible for deforestation, including essential Amazon rainforest. We are in a climate crisis that will affect the youth of today, we need to make choices to protect their future.

The increased noise and smells from the site will affect the local population.  The longer opening hours will mean that people will be subjected to these nuisances from the early hours of the morning until late at night.

POOR EMPLOYER CULTURE

Despite marketing themselves as a fair employer,  the average age of McDonalds hourly paid employee is 20. They have a high turnover of staff, as many are not long term careers; this is prefered as the employees are not unionised so won't fight for better treatment.

Only last year BBC uncovered children being sexually abused in the McDonalds workplace, as well as suffering from racism and bullying. The BBC uncovered 'A toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism and bullying has been alleged by more than 100 current and recent UK staff at outlets of the fast-food chain McDonalds.

They are also linked to labour abuses in South America and the Amazon.

McDonalds is reducing the workforce globally, so the potential jobs that they are promising now are not guaranteed to remain. Global jobs with McDonald's have more than halved over the last decade.

In conclusion,  this store isn't about the local neighbourhood or Cobham, it is about a multinational company exploiting another site in order to further increase its profits. It is essential that we stand against this now.

References for further information 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity/causes/​

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2016/10/21/obesity-and-the-environment-the-impact-of-fast-food/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/britain_diet

https://foodfoundation.org.uk/press-release/major-report-highlights-impact-britains-disastrous-food-policy​

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/10/mcdonalds-emissions-beef-burgers

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-016-0230-4

https://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/translations/trans_uk.html

https://www.statista.com/statistics/219454/mcdonalds-restaurants-worldwide/​

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65388445.amp​

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/restricting-promotions-of-products-high-in-fat-sugar-or-salt-by-location-and-by-volume-price/restricting-promotions-of-products-high-in-fat-sugar-or-salt-by-location-and-by-volume-price-implementation-guidance​

https://anthropocenefii.org/nature-loss/mcdonalds-deforestation-footprint-were-not-lovin-it​

https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/mcdonalds-linked-amazon-deforestation-new-report​

https://cdn-wp.datapress.cloud/surrey/20230516092832/Elmbridge-017D-Key-Neighbourhood-population-infographic.pdf​

https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1464​

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1479-5868-6-29