My Address Local Road, My Town, My County. Planning Department Local Planning Authority My Town, My County Date: 21st Feb 1997 Ref: number P123:97 Dear Sir/Madam, I wish to express my objection to the proposed redevelopment of our local pub, and its conversion into a 'drive-through' fast-food outlet. I am greatly concerned that the proposal, if it goes ahead, will have significant detrimental effects on the environment and the local community. TRAFFIC - The proposal involves the alteration of an existing road access. The required widening will result in nuisance to passing pedestrians, and greater risk of accidents involving children. Additionally, the 'Drive-through' will encourage more people to bring their cars to an area which already suffers from traffic problems. Obviously McDonald's predict a great deal of business will take place and that will mean hundreds of cars entering the site each day, increasing the levels of local traffic and congestion. Increased car use from also contributes to air pollution which may be linked to asthma and other breathing disorders. EMPLOYMENT - The proposal states that between 50 and 60 jobs will be provided by the new development. It fails to mention that the majority will be part time jobs with low wages that provide little opportunity for meaningful promotion. Account must be taken of the effect on other businesses in the area which will suffer from loss of trade and may therefore result in loss of existing jobs. WASTE & LITTER - The fast-food industry uses huge volumes of needless and wasteful packaging. This can hardly be sustainable, there is only so much space for land fills and a limited supply of petroleum for the production of plastic packaging. While the applicant promises that to perform 'litter patrols', such efforts will have negligible effects on the huge quantity of litter that is commonly associated with such restaurants. Even if they were to carry out such patrols as promised, the reality of a drive-through establishment is that litter will be ejected from car windows all around the community. DISTURBANCES - The early opening and late closing hours will result in unwelcome noise at unsociable hours for local residents. Some people may also be subjected to offensive odours from cooking and waste storage. It is likely that the applicants will apply to extend the opening hours even further in the future, as is common for such establishments. Additionally, it is highly likely that they will apply for consent to erect illuminated signs. Such garish and tacky commercial frontage is not in keeping with the surroundings which are predominately residential. Yours sincerely (your name)

Additional Notes:

• Address of Planning Authority
  Objections should be addressed to your local planning authority, this is usually your local council. The address can be found on the planning application and on all adverts and notices relating to the proposal. You could also look up your council's planning department in the phone book.