A full Transport Assessment accompanies our planning application, which carefully considers the impact of a new restaurant on the surrounding road network.

Access

Vehicle and pedestrian access to the site would be via Hazelwell Lane, just off Pershore Road in Stirchley. The location of the site on a one-way section of Pershore Road mitigates potential for queueing or congestion on the highway.

As part of the proposals, McDonald’s will deliver off-site highways improvements, including a widened 3m footway/cycleway, improved crossing at Hazelwell Lane, and upgraded junction access to support safer, more convenient local travel. These measures ensure the restaurant integrates smoothly into the area while supporting accessibility for the wider Stirchley community.

Given the proposed restaurant’s location on a main road, and its proximity to major retailers, it is expected that many visits to the McDonald’s would be by vehicles either already passing by or making diversions to their existing journeys. Further to this, the proposed restaurant is highly accessible by walking, cycling and public transport, located a short walk from the train station, and serviced by many local bus routes.

Parking

We are proposing a car park with 32 on-site spaces, including 3 courier spaces, 2 accessible parking spaces, 3 grill bays for Drive Thru customers, 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging spaces, 5 motorcycle spaces. There will also be 6 cycle spaces for customers.

Deliveries

Refuse collection would take place three times per week outside of peak hours, using the existing vehicle access arrangements from Hazelwell Lane. Collections would be undertaken within the customer car park, where delivery vehicles are able to manoeuvre and unload, ensuring minimal disruption. Delivery requirements would be minimised through the use of multi‑temperature vehicles, enabling frozen, chilled and ambient products to be delivered in a single visit. It is anticipated that the restaurant would require multiple deliveries a week, with these scheduled during quieter trading periods.

We recognise that the site is located in close proximity to homes and businesses. To ensure our neighbours are not adversely affected by the operation of the proposed McDonald’s, as part of our planning application, we have undertaken the following measures:

Odour

We will submit an Odour Control Assessment which sets out the proposed measures to reduce the impact of odour and grease at the site.

Noise

We have carried out an Environmental Noise Assessment which identifies any potential sources of noise nuisance and sets out how these will be addressed.

Litter

If approved, a minimum of three daily litter picks will be carried out to collect all litter within a 150m radius of the site, extending outside of the McDonald’s restaurant boundary.

McDonald’s was the first restaurant to set science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets at a global level. Working with all franchisees, we aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to all restaurants and officers by 26% by 2030. Additionally, McDonald’s is committed to a 31% reduction in emissions intensity across the supply chain by 2030.

McDonald’s supports Birmingham’s Net Zero journey. Several low and zero carbon technologies have been accessed to minimise the carbon emissions of the proposed building and to achieve this, we will include the following measures:

Renewable energy

All of our restaurants are powered by 100% renewable electricity.

Biodiesel

We recycle all our used cooking oil into biodiesel for our delivery trucks.

Reducing packaging

We now source all our packaging from renewable or recyclable materials.

Sustainable beef

We are committed to sustainably sourced, quality ingredients, from local suppliers where possible.

Our latest economic impact report shows that McDonald’s contributes around £7.25 billion to the UK economy, including £811.7 million in the West Midlands alone. During 2023, our activities across the West Midlands supported 19,310 jobs, including over 2,500 in Birmingham across 24 restaurants.

While McDonald’s is a global brand, our franchise model means we operate as a collection of small businesses. Of our UK restaurants, over 90% are operated by franchisees, embedding each restaurant in its community. Franchisees are small and mid-sized business owners who are dedicated to, and often live in, the communities they serve.  The proposed restaurant would complement the existing independent food offer in Stirchley by broadening choice and attracting additional visitors to the area. McDonald’s serves a different customer need to many of the existing restaurants in Stirchley, providing a quick, convenient, and affordable food option. In this way, the new McDonald’s restaurant can sit alongside local independent venues and act as a reliable, long-standing anchor for the area.

Key benefits of this application will include:

Delivering a new McDonald’s restaurant for Stirchley, enhancing local food choice, and complementing the options available in the local area, rather than competing with them.

Providing around 100-120 new jobs for local people, including excellent training and opportunities for career progression, with a mix of both full and part-time opportunities.

Revitalise unused land off Pershore Road, enhancing the appearance of the local area with new tree and shrub planting.

Generating between £50,000 and £60,000 in business rates to Birmingham City Council for the provision of key local services.

Sophisticated noise cancelling equipment, meaning there will be minimal noise generated from this restaurant.

A plan to tackle anti-social behaviour which is a key part of our duty of care obligations to our staff, customers and local residents.

Locally franchised to support our programme of community sponsorship and volunteering in Birmingham.

If approved, we will undertake minimum of three daily litter picks to collect all litter within a 150m radius of the site.

State of the art odour controls and extraction equipment, so that air is recirculated before being expelled out of the building.