Amber Oil fails to block new drive-thru facility at McDonald's in Fermoy

Plans by McDonald’s for a drive-thru facility at its existing restaurant at a motorway service station outside Fermoy, Co Cork can go ahead.

A leading fuel supplier has failed in its attempt to block plans by McDonald’s for a drive-thru facility at its existing restaurant at a motorway service station outside Fermoy, Co Cork.

An Bord Pleanála has rejected an appeal by Amber Oil against a decision of Cork County Council to grant three-year planning permission to the fast-food chain for the drive-thru services at its outlet at the Circle K service station located off the M8 at Junction 14.

The board ignored the recommendation of its own planning inspector who advised that the application should be refused as it ran counter to the health and safety purpose of motorway service areas.

The service station, which opened in May 2018, had a previous application for a drive-thru facility for the McDonald’s restaurant rejected by the council in 2017.

However, An Bord Pleanála said that subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, the drive-thru development would be acceptable in terms of pedestrian and traffic safety and would not seriously injure the vitality and viability of nearby settlements.

“It would provide a positive alternative option for restaurant users at the motorway service area,” it added.

The board said it had not accepted its inspector’s recommendation as, like Cork County Council, it did not believe the facility constituted “a significant additional retail service for the established restaurant but rather provided an alternative option for placing orders at an existing restaurant without any significant increase in floor area.” The board did not believe that the proposed development would reinforce or expand the McDonald’s restaurant as a destination for local customers or undermine the vitality and viability of Fermoy and Kilworth.

The inspector had claimed motorway service areas were for road users who wanted to rest and avail of food and fuel facilities.

“There is a clear health and safety purpose for motorway service areas. A ‘drive-thru’ conflicts with that purpose,” the inspector added.

Amber Oil, the Fermoy-based firm owned by the Fitzgerald family, had claimed the application by McDonald’s was effectively a resubmission of the plans which were previously refused by Cork County Council because of its potential impact on the viability and vitality of both Fermoy and Kilworth which already had a large number of vacant business premises.

“There has been no material change in circumstances that would warrant a grant of permission,” argued Amber, which operates 46 services stations nationwide but predominantly in Munster including several outlets in the Fermoy region.

It claimed a temporary permission for three years would still cause “irrevocable damage” to Fermoy and Kilworth.

McDonald’s claimed the proposed drive-thru facility was needed due to the Covid-19 pandemic which has made restaurant owners consider new ways to service their customers while maintaining social and physical distancing.

The fast food chain stated drive-thru facilities were ideally suited in such circumstances and were one of the first services to reopen after the lockdown was lifted in May.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding how long restaurants would have to operate at reduced capacity, McDonald’s said a drive-thru facility would have an important role to play in the future of its Fermoy outlet.

McDonald’s pointed out that a survey it conducted showed that only 24% of its customers came from Fermoy and surrounding areas.

Cork County Council stated it believed the application was a genuine attempt to diversify the restaurant’s offering to offset its reduced operational capacity due to Covid-19, while following public health guidelines on social distancing.