Plans for the city's first drive-thru Mcdonald's are set to be decided by a committee with planning officers recommending approval.

The plan is for the new restaurant to be part of the Tesco car park, in Easton Lane.

The new restaurant is expected to create more than 65 new jobs, which McDonald’s seeks to recruit from the local area.

Currently Winchester only has one McDonald's restaurant, in St George's Street.

The scheme will be discussed at Winchester City Council's planning committee meeting on December 13.

The proposal will provide 33 parking spaces, two accessible spaces and three grill bays. There will be four bike stands. 

Public objections have been raised over the potential for an increase in traffic.

Other objections included: increases in litter, increases in emissions and potential removal of disabled parking spaces for Tesco.

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An objection was also raised by Cllr Sue Cook. She said: “This application would have an adverse effect on the residential area that is nearby and it would also add to the congested Winnall Estate and the nearby junction that has daily traffic issues. 

“Sadly this theme of drive thru is known for its anti-social behaviour that it attracts and with the nearby car park that looks to lose 80 plus car parking spaces is a recipe for disaster. 

“Any motorist that travels on a day to day basis would surely not miss the unkept Tesco car park and the surrounding junction on the Winnall approach plus the verges and this drive thru would add to the vast amounts of litter that is discarded by regular users of the area.”

The St Bartholomew Ward councilors Kathleen Becker, Paula Ferguson and John Tippett-Cooper, also called on the council for it to be heard by the planning committee.

A McDonald’s spokesperson previously said: “We can confirm that we have submitted an application for a new drive-thru restaurant in Winchester, with the proposed location being the area of under-utilised car park alongside Tesco. We look forward to progressing with this application and believe a new McDonald’s restaurant would bring significant investment to the local community, as well as create at least 65 new jobs.”

The planning application is available to view on Winchester City Council's planning website. The code for the building is 22/00230/FUL.