More than 100 people plan to speak at an upcoming hearing on McDonald’s Restaurants NZ’s controversial bid for a Wānaka restaurant.

The hearing will begin in Wānaka on November 25 and could last up to four days.

It is one of the final steps in a long resource consent process to determine whether or not the McDonald’s will get the go-ahead.

Recent public consultation on the application makes it clear the public are not lovin’ it.

Three hundred and thirty-nine of the people who made submissions said they opposed it; just 21 supported it; and another six people said they didn’t oppose it entirely but asked for changes.

McDonald’s Restaurants NZ’s plans for a Wānaka restaurant were made public in November last year when it submitted a resource consent application for a restaurant and drive-through that would operate around the clock.

Read more: McDonald’s plans for Wānaka restaurant

Public backlash was sharp and swift, with 1,500 people signing an online petition against the proposal within a few days. Approximately another 4,000 people have signed it since.

The online petition will not have any bearing on the upcoming hearing, but the hearing panel will take into account the views of the hundreds of people who made formal submissions.

Common themes in formal submissions among people who oppose a Wānaka McDonald’s were concerns about litter and packaging, the financial impact on local food businesses, the nutritional value of McDonalds’ food, and the visual effect of the McDonald’s restaurant and signage at the ‘entrance’ to Wānaka.

The much smaller group who supported the proposal in formal submissions said it would provide employment opportunities, a rare alcohol-free environment for families, and an affordable option for takeaways.

In its application McDonald’s Restaurants (NZ) Ltd said the proposed 445m2 restaurant and drive-through, which would be located just off the SH6/SH84 roundabout on rural-zoned land, would “give rise to significant positive effects”.

Independent commissioners Helen Atkins (chair), Robert Scott,and Lisa Mein have been appointed to the hearings panel.

The first three days of the hearing will take place at the Lake Wānaka Centre’s Armstrong Room and the final day (if required) will be held at the Luggate Memorial Hall.

A final decision on the proposal won’t be made until after post-hearing deliberations by the commissioners, a Queenstown Lakes District Council representative said.

PHOTO: Supplied