Local Residents Against McDonald'sHAROLD HILLROMFORD, ESSEX, ENGLAND |
|
Angry Harold Hill families campaigning against plans for a
fast food restuarant handed in a 1,000 name petition to the
Mayor of Havering.
They are furious at plans to turn the Bow and Arrow pub in Straight Road into a drive-in McDonald's Restuarant. A group of protesters gathered outside Romford Town Hall on Wednesday last week to hand the petition to Cllr Ivor Cameron as he arrived for a council meeting. So far the campaign has received amazing public support with around 300 letters of objection believed to have been sent to the council offices. A spokesman for the protesters said "We gave our petition to the Mayor and he was very receptive. He even raised the matter in the council meeting. "We have been told the matter has now been passed on to planning committee and may be heard sometime in March. "Now we have got to sit tight and see what happens. We are hoping we can defeat this plan as we have gots lots of local support. The council will surely have to listen to what the public is saying." Further information on the campaign is still available on the INTERNET. Details can be found on: http://www.mcspotlight. org/campaigns/current/residents/ |
|
FURIOUS Harold Hill residents fighting a proposal to convert
their pub - the Bow and Arrow in striaght Road - into a McDonald's
burger restaurant have collected more than 1,000 signatures from
protesters.
They claim that Havering Council has also received over 300 letters complaining about the fast food giant take over. People from all over the world can now read about the protest - because details can be read on the Internet - http://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/current/residents/ |
|
A CAMPAIGN to stop the Bow and Arrow pub in Harold Hill being turned into a
fast-food restaurant was gaining momentum this week, writes Roy Weal.
Campaigners met outside the pub, at the corner of Straight Road and Briar Road, on Monday to start co-ordinating their opposition. At least two petitions were being circulated among angry families living nearby, and more than 1,200 protest leaflets had been delivered to homes following the shock planning application on behalf of the internation restaurant chain McDonald's. Petition organiser Mrs Christine Raymond, of Straight Road, said; "We collected more than 125 names in just a couple of hours. One hundred per cent of the people we have talked to have signed." Mr Alan Lewin, of Briar Road, who organised the leaflet, said: "We have formed a small action group to oppose this application on the grounds that it is totally unsuitable for a residential area. "We feel there other sites more suitable in the area nearer Gallows Corner." Traffic generated by a restaurant would affect Straignt Road, Briar Road and streets like Chatteris Avenue, he claimed. He said noise, smell and other disturbances would affect residents, including many old folk, living near the site. Residents are being backed by local councillors. Labour's Cllr Denis O'Flynn, said: "Hopefully we can all work together to protect the environment of our community, which would not be served by this proposal." He called for a public meeting to co-ordinate opposition and said arrangements should be made for petitions to be presented to the Mayor before the next council meeting on February 5. A spokesman for McDonald's said: "We are looking to support and enhance the community of Harold Hill with a family orientatedrestaurant which could provide 60 to 75 new local jobs." |
|
A petition has been started to stop the Bow and Arrow pub
in Straight Road, Harold Hill, being turned into a fast food restaurant.
Campaigners, fighting plans to transform the pub into a McDonald's restaurant, circulated petitions after news of the plan broke last week. One campaigner said: "It's disgraceful, the people have only just found out about it and are going to fight it all the way."
|
|
A COMMUNITY crusade to stop the Bow and Arrow pub in Harold Hill being turned into a
fast-food restaurant was beefed up this week .
Campaigners met outside the pub, at the corner off Straight Road and Briar Road, on Monday to start co-ordinating their opposition. News shock a shock planning application on behalf of international restaurant chain McDonald's was broken in the Recorder on Friday. By Monday at least two petitions were being circulated among angry families living nearby, and more than 1,200 protest leaflets had been delivered to homes. Petition organiser Mrs Christine Raymond, of Straight Road, said; "One hundred per cent of the people we have talked to have signed." Mr Alan Lewin, of Briar Road, who organised the leaflet, said: "This application is totally unsuitable for a residential area. We reel there other sites more suitable in the area nearer Gallows Corner." Residents are being backed by local councillors. Labour's Cllr Denis O'Flynn, who addressed Monday's meeting, said: "Hopefully we can all work together to protect the environment of our community, which would not be served by this proposal." A spokesman for McDonald's said: "We are looking to support and enhance the community of Harold Hill with a family orientatedrestaurant which could provide 60 to 75 new local jobs." |
|
WORRIED residents in Harold Hill have launched a campaign
against shock plans to convert one of their pubs into a fast
food restaurant.
Residents were stunned when a planning application was lodged with Havering Council to turn the Bow and Arrow, in Straight Road, into a McDonald's restaurant with a drive-through facility. Agent Anthony Bowhill and Associates wants permission to demolish an extension to the pub, then refurbish and rebuild the rest to form the restaurant. A spokesman said: "Basically the pub will be converted and replaced by the restaurant." It is intended that the McDonald's restaurant would be open from 7am untill 11pm, seven days a week, though the Agent says they could be extended if the restaurant proved very popular. But Mrs Christine Raymond, of Straight Road, said: "We think what they will eventually want is it opening 24 hours a day. "We are dead against this plan. The site is entirely surrounded by houses and flats, many of them occupied by elderly people. To have a restaurant there with all the neon lights, extra traffic and litter problems would be entirely unsuitable. "We intend to fight this and we are already starting a petition while urging people in Straight Road, Briar Road and the surrounding streets to write to the council individually, objecting to the proposals." Mrs Raymond is being supported by Heaton ward Labour councillor Denis O'Flynn. He said: "My gut reaction to these proposals is to be totally against them. "This land is in the centre of a built-up residential area and to have a round-the-clock restaurant there would be a threat to the community, especially in view of the extra traffic on a road where we have had to fight for safety measures." Plans for the restaurant can be inspected at the council's planning offices in Mercury House, Mercury Gardens, Romford. |
|
A COMMUNITY crusade to stop the Bow and Arrow pub in Harold Hill being turned into a
fast-food restaurant was beefed up this week..... (article identical to Harold Record article of the 24th)
No to Fast Food Plan (letters page)With regard to McDonald's plans to convert the Bow and Arrow pub in 1 Harold Hill to a drive-through restaurant (Recorder, January 17th, this is residential area that has been improving steadily over the last few years.I feel it is totally inappropriate to allow a commercial enterprise to locate a fast food restaurant on this site especially when there are so many commercial sites available in nearby industrial areas like Farringdon Avenue, Gallows Corner, thc A127 and Bryant Avenue. Not only would this proposal add to the amount of traffic in a residential area, it would also increase the amount of traffic at the Gallows Corner black spot with even more people crossing the roundabout from Romford Hornchurch and Harold Wood. McDonald's has regular deliveries by large articulated lorries, often at night, and neither Straight Road nor Briar Road is suitable for such vehicles. To cap it all McDonald's will also want to place a gigantic red and yellow sign at Gallows Corner, directing travellers to its location. Properly managed, a public house is generally acccpted as part of an English residential area. I believe this kind of restaurant is not and ú never will be. Granting this application would I believe, result in an additional burden on Havering Council's limited finamcial resources for things such - as road repairs, road calming, security and policing. Not to mention the adverse effect on the price of property in an area where many are aIready in the negative equity trap. I have sent my formal objection to the planning department, but, knowing bureaucracy, I fear it will have little impact unless many others do the same. D. L. Hackwell, Mimosa Close, Harold Hill.
|
| In protest... A campaign against plans to turn Harold Hill's Bow and Arrow Pub into a drive-though McDonald's was in full flight this week. Labour's prospective parlimentary candidate Keith Darvill, (left) and ward Cllr Dennis O'Flynn signed up to a petition organised by residents Mrs Chris Raymond and Mrs Bernadette Argent. |
|
Plans for a McDrive-Thru at Harold Hill's Bow and Arrow
pub are being targeted by both residents and local councillors.
They fear the plans will increase traffic, litter and create problems with youths loitering near homes and old people's flats in the area. Now a campaign to give the idea the boot is gathering steam. The scheme must go before Havering council's development control committee for planning consideration. Local resident Mrs Christine Raymond of Straight Road, is organising a petition against the move. She said "This will cause all the problems of people coming into the area. We don't want people walking along the street looking for trouble. "The Bow and Arrow is completely surrounded by houses and flats and the flats are full of old people. "It will bring more traffic to the area which is a danger to our children and a litter problem. |
"The pub is very quiet and we never have a problem with it. In fact
many people have said that they really don't want to lose their pub."
Mrs Raymond said although the application said the restaurant would be open from 7am to 11pm, residents feared eventually it could operate for 24 hours. The campaign has now won the backing of the local Labour party and ward councillors Dennis O'flynn and Margeret Latham. Branch secretary Mr Kevin Robertson said: "This is a totally inappropriate site. It is right in the middle of a residential area where there are many elderly people's flats." McDonald's told the Harold Gazette that it only needs consent for the drive-through facility of the restaurant. A spokesman said:"Because this is a family restaurant and does not sell alcohol we would argue that this would enhance Harold Hill." |