More than 5,000 people have now signed a petition objecting to McDonald's proposed 24-hour 'drive-thru' restaurant on the Tice’s Meadow and Tongham Ponds Site of Nature Conservation Interest.

The petition was launched on November 20 last year by the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group to protest against McDonald’s plans to build a new restaurant at the A31 Tongham Services.

Concerns have been raised about the negative impact this development would have on protected species and habitats in the immediately adjacent nature reserves, the visual impact on the nearby Surrey Hills National Landscape, flooding, traffic, highway safety, light pollution, noise pollution, litter, and odour.

Guildford Borough Council has received 129 comments from members of the public on the planning application, 125 of them objections despite a campaign by McDonald’s to drum up support.

An artist’s impression of the proposed McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant at the A331/ A31 Tongham services
An artist’s impression of the proposed McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant at the A331/ A31 Tongham services (McDonald's)

A raft of statutory consultees have also called for McDonald's plans to be rejected.

Surrey County Council’s highways department has objected, requesting improvements to cycle and pedestrian access, further analysis of accident records, improvements to delivery and queuing arrangements, and an increase in parking spaces.

The 24/7 ‘golden arches’ drive-thru proposes 39 spaces for cars.

Surrey's flood risk team has also objected, the latter disputing the developer’s classification of the site as a ‘minor’ development, and requesting a more sustainable and appropriate drainage scheme.

In its response, Surrey Wildlife Trust state that the developer has failed to recognise the presence of many protected and important species and habitats on and adjacent to the site in the Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve.

The trust said the developer has failed to take into account the Site of Nature Conservation Interest with regards to the light pollution, noise, odour, dog walking, use of herbicide, impacts from construction, biodiversity net gain, and air pollution.

Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve is located directly adjacent to the proposed McDonald’s at Tongham Services
Tice’s Meadow Nature Reserve is located directly adjacent to the proposed McDonald’s at Tongham Services (Neil Randell)

It also highlighted the failure to deliver previous commitments to habitat improvements associated with the construction of Tongham Services, and the developer’s attempt to artificially reduce the biodiversity baseline of the site.

Objections have also been received from Farnham Town Council, Rushmoor Borough Council public health, Tongham Parish Council, the Surrey county archaeologist, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, the Farnham Biodiversity Group, Badshot Lea Community Association, Save Surrey’s Countryside, the Fleet Pond Society, the Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership, and Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth.

Mark Elsoffer, secretary of the Tice’s Meadow Bird Group, said: “All of our volunteers have been heartened by the wide-ranging support we’ve received from across the local community.

“We are determined to fight this highly inappropriate development that will blight the local nature reserves if allowed to go ahead. 

“We are calling on our local elected officials to listen to their residents’ concerns and stand up for nature.”

The bird group’s full reasons for objecting to the proposed development, and a link to the Guildford Borough planning portal, can be found via its petition page at: https://chng.it/jXmhJJjDKf

McDonald’s says its proposed drive-thru at the A31 Tongham Services represents a multi-million-pound investment in the area and will create more than 120 full- and part-time jobs.