May 2026
McDonalds are proposing to open a new branch at the site of the current Poundland at 284-286 Walworth Road. Changes in planning law by the previous UK government mean that it is unlikely that they require a change of use to move from the current retail outlet use to a restaurant usage BUT amongst the planning permissions that they do require is a “Variation in Opening Hours”.
They are seeking to do this via planning application 26/AP/1110. They are aiming to move from the previously consented hours for the Poundland to proposed hours of operation of 06:00 – 00:00 Monday to Sunday.
In the light of the impact of the previous McDonalds branch at Chatelain House (198-200 W Rd) on the local area – in particular following the pandemic when much more of the business was conducted through delivery riders – many local people feel that these opening hours are too long owing to the disturbance that the branch will cause late into the evening.
The deadline for comments to the planning application is 12th May and the application number is 26/AP/1110.
The application can be accessed via the Southwark Council Planning Portal at:
planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/search.do?action=simple&searchType=Application
Nowadays, to comment/object you do have to log in.
How to comment/object.
Below are some themes from the Walworth Society objection that you might like to use. Our full objection appears in the pdf below. If you have any personal experience of the impact of the previous branch on the surrounding area, that would be very helpful to include in the objection.
- This application to extend opening hours will cause significant harm to the lives of the many residents who live close-by.
- In the previous McDonalds branch, the operations including later into the evening led to severe noise, pavement obstruction and congestion, as well as anti-social behaviour and public nuisance from the very large numbers of delivery drivers and riders serving the branch.
- The applicant has taken no significant steps to address these issues and the proposed site presents a number of risks due to constrained pavements, a busy bus stop immediately outside, and dense residential housing in surrounding streets. All these issues will worsen congestion and disturbance later into the evening.
- The application conflicts with national and local policies, including the National Planning Policy Framework and Southwark Plan, which require minimising noise and protecting quality of life.
- The applicant has failed to undertake a noise assessment that takes into account the wider impacts of the proposed branch across the local area (other than in terms of the operation of the branch). The applicant has not addressed the delivery impacts in the immediate area surrounding the branch or the impact of late-night traffic (from the delivery and take-away business) in the surrounding residential streets.
- The extended hours proposed will harm residents’ health and well-being and the application for these extended hours should be refused.
The full Walworth Society objection can be seen here
The Walworth Society 