Old Red Lion Whinmoor: Controversial plans for new McDonalds restaurant at former Leeds pub site rejected

The controversial plans for a fast food restaurant at the site of the Old Red Lion pub were met by anger from YEP readers and locals who mourned the “sad ending” for the venue.

McDonalds launched a public consultation in January 2024 seeking the views of the community for a new restaurant at the “currently underused site”, which the American company claimed would create around 120 new jobs with "market-leading career progression opportunities".

The company also said the proposal would benefit the cash-strapped Leeds City Council, with business rates of around £60,000 being paid to the council, for investment into vital local resources.

Residents shared their thoughts at the news that a new fast food restaurant would take the place of the pub, which was at the site for over 260 years, saying it was a “shame” to lose the Old Red Lion as it “used to be a lovely pub in its day”.

The Old Red Lion Bar on York Road in Whinmoor has stood abandoned since 2021 after a series of violent incidents caused its licence to be revoked.

Rejecting the plans for a new McDonalds restaurant at the site, Leeds City Council’s planning committee said: “The applicant has failed to demonstrate that there are no sequentially preferable sites within existing local centres as set out within P8 of the Core Strategy.

“Whilst a Sequential Assessments has been undertaken by the applicants, this is considered to be unacceptable as it fails to cover local centres within the required 5 minute inbound drive time as set out within the policy.

Get more stories like this, as well as a headline round-up and all of the breaking news updates, when you sign up to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s free emails

“In light of an acceptable assessment, officers cannot conclude that there are no suitable alternative sites within Local centres and as such, the application is considered to be contrary to Policy P8 section 7 of the NPPF which seek to ensure the vitality of town centres.”

The committee added: ”The Local Planning Authority consider that the proposed development, by reason of its close proximity to residential properties, would be detrimental to the amenity of these occupants through increased noise and disturbance.

“The submitted Noise Impact Assessment is considered unacceptable as a single measurement location undertaken over a 2 day period is not a robust assessment in order to provide suitable findings.

“Furthermore, the report relies on the existing building in order to provide some buffer from road noise. However, as that building is to be demolished, officers do not consider this to be a reasonable assumption.

“In addition, noise from the drive thru lanes by vehicles, order speakers as well as general conversations has not be suitably addressed.”