New documents submitted by McDonald’s Restaurants NZ indicate how visible the proposed McDonald’s restaurant would be from a range of viewpoints, including the Mt Iron summit.

Last November the fast food giant submitted a resource consent application for a local McDonald’s restaurant and drive-through just off the SH6/SH84 subdivision. 

A newly submitted landscape report shows that the restaurant, while partially screened by trees, would be visible to road users travelling into Wānaka from the south on SH6 at two or more locations.

The first is around one kilometre before reaching the intersection, looking west, when the restaurant would be briefly visible at a distance.

The restaurant would be visible from a handful of locations, including the north end of Riverbank Road.

The second is when approaching the SH6/SH84 subdivision, when a road user would see the restaurant on their right but, as noted by the applicant, “not below Mt Iron’s summit”.

From the summit of Mt Iron though, when looking southwest and down towards the site, track users would have a view of the McDonald’s, alongside other buildings penned for the Mt Iron Junction subdivision.

Travelling out of the Wānaka CBD on SH84, road users would be unlikely to see the restaurant because of screening by trees, and it would also be “predominantly screened” for road users approaching the intersection from the Albert Town side.

A partial view of the restaurant would be visible to road users at the north end of Riverbank Road, just before the intersection.

A petition opposing McDonald’s plans to set up shop in Wānaka has gained more than 5,000 signatures.

Petitioner Sarah Morrison said she created the petition because she wants Wānaka to preserve its “beautiful natural environment” and health-forward “community values”.

Go deeper: Residents not lovin’ it - McDonald’s backlash

McDonald’s Restaurants NZ asked for its application with Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) to be put on ‘pause’ at the end of November after the council requested additional information, but the application is now live again.

McDonald's has requested that its resource consent application be publicly notified.

IMAGES: Supplied