McDonald's to open seventh restaurant in town

Plans for McDonald's to open its seventh restaurant in a town are set to be approved by councillors.

The fast food chain said it would create 120 jobs when it opened a new 24-hour drive-thru in the Homebase car park, off London Road in Basildon, Essex.

Basildon Council was expected to approve the project when its planning committee met on 4 December, meeting papers showed.

Residents have raised 19 objections against the eatery, citing concerns about anti-social behaviour, litter and increased traffic.

In their report, a council officer said the site was already busy with traffic - the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Concluding development would not detrimentally impact the area, they wrote: "The existing site represents an enclosed site with a clearly defined development footprint."

The restaurant will become Basildon's seventh McDonald's if the plan is approved.