ANNA FIELDING, PETE MAZANEC, JASMINE UITERMARK-THAUNG, ANTAYA ADEBAHR-STRAHAN, RACHAEL CLIFFORD, AMY EWERS, MICHAEL HEATON, BETHANY HOPE, HERLYN KAUR, BECKY KILMINSTER, SARAH MAKSE, DANIEL MORRIS, KARINA VAKIL, SHANNON WELLS – WITH CHRIS THOMSON

A 24/7 McDonald’s was yesterday approved on the site of a defunct Chicken Treat outlet at the Waterford Plaza shops near Curtin University despite lingering concerns over the consultation process for the project.

Carol Roe (pictured), of the nearby suburb of Manning, attended the Development Assessment Panel meeting that approved the McDonald’s yesterday.

Carol Roe at the site of the planned Karawara McDonald’s. Photography: Jasmine Uitermark-Thaung

At the meeting, Ms Roe argued the McDonald’s should have been classed as a restaurant, and not a take-away outlet, and therefore should have been advertised to beyond the 12 households that it was, and that a sign should have been erected.

The onetime secretary of the Karawara Residents’ Committee said the term ‘restaurant’ had been used 28 times in the planning application lodged by McDonald’s, and 13 times in a traffic report attached to the application.

“It is a family restaurant,” Ms Roe said.

“They’re putting in a playground.

“They are trying to encourage families to come in and sit down and eat their food rather than take it away with them.”

Ms Roe, who learned about the planned McDonald’s from a story published on this website last week, said “everyone was shocked when I told them”.

“There really needed to be a sign put up for 21 days so people were aware this was happening,” she said.

Today outside the former Chicken Treat shop, which will be demolished to make way for the McDonald’s, David Leaman of Lowan Loop in Karawara said: “Not another bloody fast food joint!”

“People could have sat down and thought of something better to put there,” he said of the site which is sandwiched between an existing Hungry Jack’s and a KFC.

The planned $2.37 million eatery received no objections after being advertised to 12 householders and building owners in the area. Asked last week why only 12 parties were directly advised of the mooted Maccas, in light of controversy over McDonald’s eateries erected recently in the Perth suburbs of Applecross and Harrisdale, South Perth Deputy Mayor Glenn Cridland said the consultation process had complied with council policy.

Ian Birch, president of the assessment panel that yesterday approved the McDonald’s said the decision was unanimous.

“The panel accepted the interpretation [of the McDonald’s as a take-away outlet rather than a restaurant] as defined in the [South Perth] planning scheme,” he said.

“Even if it was a restaurant, the same consultation process would apply.”