Photo: 123rf
A three-day hearing will be held in May, to help determine the fate of a proposed McDonald's restaurant in the Auckland suburb of Ōrākei.
McDonald's intends to construct a 24/7 restaurant at 152 Kepa Road, but the plan has met fierce opposition from local residents worried about potential health implications, litter and traffic disturbance.
Submissions on the resource consent application closed at the end of January.
Auckland Council said it had received 381 submissions.
Of these, 331 were against, 45 supported the application and five were neutral.
A council spokesperson said 80 of the submitters have requested to speak at the hearing in May, which will happen at the Tamaki Ex-Services Association Hall in St Heliers from 5 May.
"Three days have been set down to allow the applicant to present their case to the hearing panel and for the submitters to have their chance to speak," the spokesperson said.
The resource consent application is the second one submitted by McDonald's for the same site.
It withdrew its first application last year, before seeking a publicly notified resource consent.
Documents posted on the Auckland Council website show the single-storey restaurant would have seating for approximately 27 people, and a drive-through facility open 24/7.
In an interview with RNZ last year, Ōrākei Community Association chair Alistair Bell said the site is in close proximity to schools, social housing and a runs a large community vegetable garden run by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei.
Some locals are worried the fast food restaurant will undermine the positive impacts of that garden, he said.
Plans for a McDonald's restaurant on the outskirts of Wānaka also prompted a three-day hearing earlier this year, and 366 written submissions.
That resource consent application was eventually declined by commissioners.
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