Parents worried about their children getting fat have spoken out against a fast-food burger flipping chain opening a third venue in their “obese” seaside town.
Despite dozens of rejections, plans for a drive-thru McDonalds were approved by East Suffolk Council in December last year.
The site of the third branch of the fast food giant was also unpopular with Suffolk Wildlife Trust who claimed that wildlife meadows and ponds would be disturbed by construction, the Eastern Daily Press reported.
But now with famous Golden Arches venue taking shape, parents in the town of around 70,000 people have voiced their fears over children having more temptation to eat takeaway food.
Sharon Knight, 48, who has a teenage daughter, told the Sun: “This town already has a problem with obesity and the last thing it needs is a third fast-food McDonald’s outlet.
“Youngsters in particular are lured into places like McDonald’s but the firm doesn’t seem to care about the effect they can have.”
McDonalds has over 1,300 outlets across the UK. The company’s website states it is planning to “open 300 new restaurants over the next 10 years” that it says will “creating up to 20,000 jobs”.
Reacting to the news of another branch opening in Lowestoft, one person commented perhaps they should change to the town’s name.
They wrote: “Lowestoft will have more fast-food restaurants than main retail stores change the name to McLowestoft the biggest burger town in the UK.”
Another added: “How many McDonalds does one town need we already got two, don’t get me wrong I like McDonalds but there are towns without any.”
But one person seemed to think after the heated discussions had subsided many people would like the new addition to the restaurant circuit, predicting: “All the locals initially will hate it, but they will get used to it and like the convenience. Same happened near me. Everyone against it, now everyone is happy it’s there.”
Café and diner owner Georgie Yilmaz, 40, told the Sun positioning the McDonalds outside of the town may have a negative effect.
He said: “It will take even more people away from the town centre and leave it like a ghost town.
“They have such enormous influence that they can kill off other outlets which will eventually lead to the death of Lowestoft as a shopping centre.”
Express.co.uk have approached McDonalds for comment.
