The decision to withdraw the application was officially announced yesterday.
After months of deliberation, and lots of divided opinions amongst locals, the application to build a McDonalds on Otley Road in Headingley, slap bang in the middle of the Otley Run, have been withdrawn.
An application was originally made in August 2022, where the popular fast food chain applied for permission to open a new branch in Headingley along the infamous bar crawl route.
The new branch would be taking over the empty HSBC bank on Otley Road which has been empty for over five years.
Interestingly, it was reported that the McDonalds opening had hoped to open entirely as a takeaway and delivery station. The idea would have been that those wanting to grab a Big Mac on their way back from work or mid-pub crawl would have ordered, but had nowhere to sit to eat their food.
Local councillors highlighted that “the potential for cars blocking Otley Road to pick up orders, in addition to the amount of new litter created as many people would have just eaten outside, made this a ridiculous location for this proposal”.
It is no doubt that the Otley Run, otherwise known as the Headingley Mile, already causes anti-social drunken behaviour, with flocks of students embarking on the mammoth crawl spanning over 2.3 miles and consisting of 15 different venues.
However, the takeout would have created around 80 jobs, including 30 full-time positions for the local community- leaving many locals with mixed views about whether or not the fast food joint should open.
Whilst all of this has been going on, another worldwide burger chain, Burger King has been granted permission to build a new eat-in restaurant. This was reportedly because it will offer no delivery options and eat-in only options.
Whilst the saga is over for the time being, it has to be noted that a new amended application could still be put forward, should McDonalds decide to find work-arounds for the problems the council found with the application.
Read More:
- Plans to open a McDonald’s on the Otley Run bar crawl route receives backlash
- The Otley Run: the ultimate beginners guide to Leeds’ best pub crawl
- Otley Run to issue fines for bad behaviour after being compared to Magaluf
You can find the associated documents for the planning application on the Leeds City Council website here.
Feature Image – Unsplash
