McDonald’s says it no longer plans to open its proposed Wānaka restaurant around the clock.

Previously billed to operate 24 hours a day, the company now plans to open from 6am-11pm daily.

Jeremy Brabant, the barrister representing McDonald’s, presented the amendment to its proposal to independent commissioners via Zoom today (Thursday December 19).

It follows a three-day in-person hearing in Wānaka in November where the commissioners considered the controversial proposal for a McDonald’s near the SH6/SH84 intersection.

The McDonald’s team, pictured during the November hearing, including barrister Jeremy Brabant (front, centre). PHOTO: Wānaka App

During the hearing they heard from the McDonald’s team, Queenstown Lakes District Council (which recommended the proposal be turned down), and members of the public (the majority of whom opposed it).

Today, Jeremy noted that opponents of the McDonald’s proposal had had “a bit to say” about the 24/7 McDonald’s operation.

That was now a “moot point” considering the concession from McDonald’s on operating hours.

“The other tweak to the proposal is the adjustment to the height of the blade sign,” Jeremy told commissioners.

The controversial proposal has been the source of plenty of debate in the community. PHOTO: Wānaka App

The ‘golden arches’ would be reduced to 2.2m in height to “align” with the height of the Caltex sign.

Jeremy said the amendments were “discreet” but “important”.

The Zoom meeting was the McDonald’s team’s opportunity to provide its right-of-reply and Jeremy touched on a range of topics which had come up during the hearing.

He said while McDonald’s was “cognisant” of the rubbish and packaging issue, “you don’t need to go further than the two supermarkets in town to find more packaging than you can shake a stick at”.

When it came to the nutritional value and health effects of McDonald’s food, it was “a matter of personal choice as to what one orders from McDonald’s, or not”, he said.

He said the McDonald’s, which was “not a large building”, was not of the “nature of scale which can compete with or detract from Mt Iron”.

The McDonald’s, if approved, would be built on rural-zoned land near the SH6/SH84 intersection. PHOTO: Wānaka App

The idea that the McDonald’s site was within the ‘gateway’ to Wānaka was “a somewhat nebulous concept that needs not to be overlooked”, Jeremy said.

Jeremy noted that there was a “narrow pathway to consent” for the proposal.

However, it is “deserving of consent”, he said.

Independent commissioner Helen Atkins said she expected to issue a decision on the McDonald’s proposal by the end of January.