McDonald’s plans for March are dashed

Hopes of a much-longed-for McDonald’s drive-thru in March have been dashed by Fenland District Council’s planning officers.

In a move that is sure to disappoint the people of March planning officers have advised a company behind plans for a drive-thru McDonald’s off Wisbech Road that they must now re-apply if they want to proceed.

The decision was taken because of a lack of progress on the application, which was first submitted to the district council in December 2019, with a failure to meet the requirements of the local highways authority largely to blame.

Amherst Ltd submitted the application to build the restaurant/takeaway with a drive-thru, seating area, car park, and electric vehicle charging points on the site, which is a former Anglian Water balancing pond on the corner of Hostmoor Avenue and Wisbech Road.

Since the application has transferred to the name of Cambridge Property Group Plc.

But since the initial application little progress has been made, with Fenland’s senior development officer Nikki Carter, writing to Karen Crowder-James of agents Contour Planning Services Ltd back in July this year warning that she intended to treat the applications as “finally disposed of”.

In her letter Ms Carter said the application had been outstanding on the council’s books for four-and-a-half years and that Fenland had heard nothing since February 27 this year.

She wrote: “The period for decision making in this case has now expired and no appeal has been made to the Secretary of State. Accordingly, after 14 days of the date of this letter, it’s my intention to finally dispose of the application in accordance with Article 40 (13) and take no further action on it.”

Ms Carter’s decision was confirmed in a letter from Sheila Black, Fenland’s principal planning officer, to Ms Crowder-James earlier this month.

In it Ms Black points out there has been a series of requests from the council for the application to either be withdrawn and resubmitted or alternatively the council would ‘finally dispose’ of it.

The first of these was sent in June 2020, there were further letters in October 2020, March 2021, September 2022, February 2024, and then the most recent one in July.

Ms Black said: “It appears to me that the council has tried to progress the application but there are several outstanding matters which have not been addressed and which mean that the application cannot be reasonably determined by the local planning authority.

“I have taken into account your comments received on August 6, 2024 and have taken the opportunity to speak to my colleagues in the local highway department and confirmation has been received that no meaningful discussions have taken place since 2021 and that the local highway authority still maintain their objection. I, therefore, would inform you that the application will now be Finally Disposed.”