A number of locals in Thurles, Co Tipperary are, on health grounds, objecting to McDonald’s Ireland constructing a new drive-through fast food outlet in the town.
The move is part of the franchise’s plan to open 200 restaurants across Ireland and the UK.
However, over 20 objections have been lodged against the proposal.
In one objection, Ronan Spain of Carraig Donn, Clongour, Thurles, told the council that “as a father of two young children, I object to the development of a fast-food restaurant on health grounds, particularly as we are in the midst of an obesity crisis in this country, where one in five children aged under five is obese according to a study referenced on the HSE (Health Service Executive) website on October 10th 2024”.
In a joint objection with his wife, Karen, the Spains said that the proposed site is located close to a creche/montessori facility and public health policy in a lot of counties dictates that fast food outlets should not be built within 300 metres of creche facilities or schools.
Chris Delahunt echoes the health concerns cited by the Spains in his own objection to the proposal.
In another objection, Paul Ryan from The Mall, Thurles that the proposal “is 100 yards from my place of work, a doctors’ surgery”.
“Having a fast food outlet is of no help at all in our efforts to promote healthier lifestyles,” he said.
A spokeswoman for McDonald’s said on Tuesday: “We are excited about the opportunity to open a new restaurant in Thurles bringing new jobs and significant investment to the local area.”
Asked to comment on those objecting to the planned drive-through on health grounds, the spokeswoman said: “Our customers are at the heart of every choice we make which is why we’ve been providing nutritional information on our menu for over 30 years.”
“We continue to evolve our menu to ensure our customers can make informed decisions, with 54 per cent of our menu now classified as non-HFSS (not high in fat, salt or sugar) and 89 per cent of our items in our core menu containing under 500 calories.” she added.
“As a business, McDonald’s prides itself on being a good neighbour in the communities in which it operates, and we look forward to continuing to work with the council and local residents to mitigate any concerns raised.”
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