Old Red Lion Whinmoor: McDonald's resubmits plans for new restaurant at former pub site after initial rejection

The controversial plans for a fast food restaurant at the site was met by anger from YEP readers and locals when they were first submitted to Leeds City Council in January this year.

Leeds City Council rejected the application in June, with one of the reasons for the refusal being that McDonald’s had “failed to demonstrate” that there are no better sites that would be more suited for a restaurant.

The council’s planning committee said: “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.

“In light of an acceptable assessment, officers cannot conclude that there are no suitable alternative sites within local centres...”

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McDonald’s has now lodged a revised proposal for a new restaurant at the site of the former pub.

Amendments in the new plans include reduced opening hours from 24-hours to 7am to 11pm. It also promises to plant 18 trees on the site and a further 37 in the adjacent woodland, and to build a pedestrian refuge island on the Baildon Drive junction and a traffic island on the A64 York Road to prevent overtaking.

Phil Isherwood, Senior Acquisitions Surveyor at McDonald’s said: “We were disappointed when our previous proposals for a restaurant in Whinmoor were refused by Leeds City Council. However, we have acknowledged the reasons for refusal and revised our proposals to address them.

“We now have an improved application which, if approved, will bring McDonald’s popular offer to the Whinmoor community. 

“We look forward to our plans being considered by Leeds City Council planners. We hope that the changes we have made, along with the wider benefits of our proposals, will be recognised and result in a positive resolution to grant permission.”