Lake Macquarie City Council has back-tracked on their decision to extend operating hours for the Swansea McDonalds restaurant.
Earlier this month, council approved drive-through hours of 12am until 5am, but at last night's meeting, a recision motion successfully overturned the decision.
The reason given by Councillor Adam Shultz, who lead the motion, was to allow time for a site inspection in order to foster a more consultative approach in the wake of community concerns about increased traffic along the already busy Pacific Highway.
Residents are also concerned about litter and anti-social behaviour being exacerbated by longer trading hours at the fast-food outlet.
Cr Jason Pauling opposed the recision, believing a backflip would compromise business confidence in the City of Lake Macquarie, while Cr Kevin Baker feared a site inspection would morph into "an all in public forum," given the amount of concern from nearby residents.
Meanwhile, Crs Barney Langford and Brian Adamthwaite said they haven't yet formed a position on the proposed 24-hour operation, indicating the site inspection could swing opinions either way.
For now at least, it's an unhappy meal to swallow for the Swansea McDonalds owners.
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| Swansea McDonalds. |
