Earthworks to prepare the site for a McDonald’s restaurant in Swan St, Bega, have begun.
WORK has begun in preparation for Bega’s controversial McDonald’s restaurant.
A private residence on Swan St and the site of a former landscaping business on the corner of Swan and Carp St are both being demolished to accommodate the size of the development.
A safety fence was erected around the site earlier this week as bulldozers and construction workers started the demolition.
A development application for the fast food giant to build an outlet in Bega was granted in November 2012 (BDN, 2/11/12) after the NSW Land and Environment Court dismissed the formal objection lodged by Swan St residents Janet and William Pitty.
McDonald’s first submitted a DA in February 2011 to build on the Swan St site, but it was beset by numerous council delays and ongoing resident protests.
The development was approved in October 2011 by council in a split vote, despite Bega Valley Shire Council’s staff recommendations that it be refused on planning grounds (BDN, 21/10/11).
The Pittys, an elderly retired couple who live next door to the Swan St development, took McDonald’s to the Land and Environment Court, but their objections were dismissed.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s confirmed initial work had started.
“It’s really early earthworks at this stage, but we are looking to have the restaurant opened by the end of the year,” the spokesperson said.
Although they have been unable to stop the fast food giant from building on Swan St, the Pittys are maintaining their opposition to the project by placing signs on their front fence that say “No M in Swan St” and “Put it in Nth Bega”.
