Rutland: England's McDonald's-free county gets restaurant

McDonald's said the store will create more than 65 jobs in the community

England's only McDonald's-free county is no more, as a branch of the fast food chain has opened.

Rutland, in the East Midlands, had escaped the lure of the golden arches but plans to build a diner and drive-thru were approved in January.

The restaurant, based on the outskirts of Oakham, will move to a drive-thru only service on Thursday as the country goes into a second lockdown.

McDonald's said the store will create more than 65 jobs in the community.

Before Rutland County Council approved the plan for the fast food chain, there was some resistance among residents.

• County to get first McDonald's as plan is approved

• England's only county without a McDonald's

Among the 55 objections made to the authority, one person wrote: "I'm proud Rutland is the only county not to have a McDonald's."

Several others expressed concerns about the impact a McDonald's would have on smaller, independent, businesses in Oakham.

Oakham is a market town with prestigious schools and traditional buildings

But landlady of the Crown Tavern, Lindsay Taylor, said once lockdown had lifted, it "could bring people to Oakham and help shops on the high street".

"At the end of the day people are worried about littering and that sort of stuff, but that's not McDonald's fault," she said.

"People think we live in a posh area, as it's Rutland, but there's a split."

Franchise owner Glyn Pashley, who operates the new restaurant, said he was "delighted to be opening in Oakham" and holding the mantle of "the first [McDonald's] restaurant in Rutland".

Oakham's mayor David Romney officially opened the restaurant at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

He said: "It was getting very busy when I left, which was nice to see. There were no planning grounds for this not to go ahead and I think, in terms of the employment and visitors it will provide, it will be a win-win situation for the town."

Paul Stainton saw up to 30 cars in the drive-thru on the morning McDonald's opened in Rutland

Paul Stainton, who lives in Stretton, Rutland, drove past the new McDonald's earlier said it was "very busy".

"I'd say there were probably 25 to 30 cars in the drive-thru, the restaurant was busy, there were people sat outside in the sunshine - it looks like it's got off to a pretty good start," he said.

Mr Stainton didn't have any issues with the restaurant being built in his local area and said it looks "quite swanky".

"I think it's a balancing act between the tradition of Rutland and also the fact that people need jobs.

"To be fair, it makes a scruffy little area of Rutland look quite nice," he said.

Some of those opposing the new McDonald's had suggested using the space for something "more healthy"

One of those that is unlikely to join the drive-thru queue is Charlie Pallett, also known as the Rutland Blogger.

She said the absence of a McDonald's in the county was a "quirk" that had now gone.

"We've got one everywhere else around us within a 10 to 15-minute drive so I don't think we need it," she said.

She supported the idea of using the space for something "more healthy".

"There were quite a lot of people that would have liked to have seen something more active there for children could do - a trampoline park or something like that," she said.

"Obviously, now with Covid I don't know if that would have been able to happen or not."

However, Ms Pallett said she could not dispute the benefit of the extra jobs in the area.

"That's fantastic, especially during the circumstances at the moment," she said.

England's smallest historic county

• Rutland lies between Leicestershire and Lincolnshire and has a population of 39,500

• The county's Latin motto, Multum in Parvo, means "much in little"

• The average house price is £327,000 - almost £100,000 above the national average, according to the Land Registry

• It has returned Conservative MPs to Parliament with comfortable majorities since the seat was created in 1983. The seat is currently held by Alicia Kearns

• According to Discover Rutland, Oakham Castle is the oldest English court building that has remained in continuous use

• Rutland Water and the surrounding wetlands is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest and covers a total area of 3,843 acres (1,555 hectares)