Neighbours oppose new McDonald's being open 24/7

A mock-up of a McDonald's was provided to Norwich City Council in the planning application

People living near a new McDonald's have said the restaurant opening 24-hours a day would cause "unbearable" disruption.

A new McDonald's is being built in Mousehold Lane, Sprowston, and Norwich City Council will consider the company's application for the site's operating hours on Friday.

Plans for the new McDonald's were initially turned down by the council in 2022, but the decision was overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in May 2024.

Forty-two local residents have opposed the application, including Adam Ballard, who said: "It will be bad enough between 05:00-23:00, but 24/7 will be constant and unbearable for neighbours."

Building works are in progress for the new McDonald's in Sprowston

McDonald's has not confirmed when the new site will be open, but it will be the chain's 11th restaurant in Norwich - six of which are open 24-hours a day.

The site, which was formerly home to a second-hand car company, backs onto Mousehold Heath and is bordered to the east by a 24-hour petrol station.

Residential properties sit to its west on Plaford Road and on the other side of Mousehold Lane.

The majority of the 42 objections cite public nuisance and noise as chief concerns over the application.

Rhea Bussens, who lives on Plaford Road, said her children's bedrooms overlook the site and approval of the licence would be "utterly ridiculous".

Norfolk Police has said it has no objections as long as CCTV requirements were met.

An artist's impression of the proposed McDonald's site in Mousehold Lane

Ahead of Friday's meeting, council officials have advised councillors that they must consider four areas: the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm.

In the application, a McDonald's spokesperson stated: "The restaurant understands that in extending our opening hours we have a duty to the local community and that we continue to protect our staff and customers from danger and harm."

It adds that its systems were "robust" and "thorough" and included CCTV, panic buttons for staff and regular litter patrols.

On noise control, the spokesperson added: "Where it is practical to do so we are content to put measures in place to limit noise.

"All McDonald's restaurant doors are self-closing and we try to encourage our customers to be considerate to our neighbours and to limit noise both when ordering their food and on leaving the local area."

McDonald's was contacted for comment by the BBC ahead of the decision.

A sign opposing the McDonald's has been in place for many months