Proposals for two new fast food outlets will be recommended for approval at Cessnock City Council's October 19 meeting.
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A development application comprising a drive-thru Hungry Jacks store, service station, convenience store and car wash facility on Wollombi Road will be tabled at the meeting, as will plans for a McDonald's restaurant in Vincent Street (which was deferred from council's August meeting).
The Hungry Jacks development is located on the site of the former Sylvester's bakery, next to St Patrick's Primary School, and the applicant is seeking approval to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Council staff are recommending that a 12-month trial of the 24-hour operation be imposed as a "precautionary measure" given the development's proximity to the existing residential area.
The development application was lodged with council in September 2021, and was publicly exhibited between October 12 and November 9 that year, with two objections received.
If approved, the development will be subject to more than 100 conditions of consent, including (but not limited to) safety and security, noise complaints, fuel delivery, waste collection, runoff and litter control.
Council staff will also recommend that the McDonald's restaurant on the corner of Vincent, Snape and Charlton streets be given the green light, after the applicant proposed to increase the height of the acoustic fence on the Charlton Street site of the property.
The application was recommended for approval at council's August meeting, but councillors sought further discussion with the applicant regarding the building location and traffic management on the site, and the impacts on local residents.
The applicant proposes to add an extra 300mm to the acoustic fence, bringing it to 2.5 metres high, and to plant at least two street trees on Charlton Street to improve the streetscape.
In a letter to council, SLR Consulting (on behalf of McDonald's Australia) maintains that the building location is the "most appropriate layout", having been considered by both the project consultant team and council over the course of two years; and the traffic management plan provides queuing capacity "in excess of" the Transport for NSW guidelines and requirements, and can be accommodated both on the existing road network and on site.
If approved, the new McDonald's would be open to the public from 5am to midnight, with a 24-hour drive-through facility that would be subject to a 12-month trial.
The new restaurant is located about 1.5 kilometres from the existing McDonald's outlet on Allandale Road, which will remain open.
Meanwhile, the site next to KFC on Wollombi Road (which was previously approved for Hungry Jacks) is now set to become a Taco Bell, and Red Rooster is seeking a franchisee for a store it plans to build in Cessnock.
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Krystal Sellars
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
Krystal Sellars is the Senior Journalist at the Cessnock Advertiser. Born and raised in Cessnock, she started her journalism career at the Advertiser in 2006 after completing a Bachelor of Communication at the University of Newcastle. Contact her on krystal.sellars@cessnockadvertiser.com.au.
