Cosham McDonald’s denied longer opening hours over residents’ noise concerns
Residents warn longer opening hours could worsen noise from cars and customers
Portsmouth councillors have refused plans to extend the opening hours of the McDonald’s restaurant in Cosham by two hours a day.
The application, submitted by Savills UK Limited on behalf of McDonald’s Restaurants Limited, sought permission to extend the opening hours of the restaurant in Portsmouth Road from 7am to 11pm to 6am to midnight, adding an extra hour at both ends of the day, seven days a week.
The plans received 11 objections from residents, as well as a petition signed by 38 people.
The petition stated: “There are four other 24 hour McDonald’s in the vicinity so this is unnecessary. The other sites are not in residential areas.
“We already suffer noise disturbance from before 5am until after 1.30am with the current 7am-11pm opening hours.”
Speaking to the planning committee, a local resident urged councillors to consider the “real impact this extension could have”, including the “additional noise and disturbance that can occur during the early morning and late evening when people are trying to sleep”.
They warned that activity could continue beyond the proposed closing time and said the “committee needs to consider the affect on residents sleep rather than relying solely on average noise levels”.
The resident also asked councillors to defer the decision until noise concerns had been addressed.
Councillor Lee Hunt proposed refusing the application, saying the noise concerns made the decision “quite straightforward”.He argued the proposed conditions “will not address the undue noise and additional cars coming and going”.
Cllr Joe Standen agreed, saying authorities could stipulate “all the conditions in the world” but this would not address the noise created by “people coming and going, talking and slamming car doors”.
Cllr Carl Inman also raised concerns, noting that live music at the neighbouring Portsbridge pub stops at 11pm.
He said: “residents expect it to be a quieter time and I think 11pm is quite late enough for business”.