Local community on Australian Sunshine Coast compromises with McDonald's

Residents of the suburb of Minyama, Australia have come to a compromise with restaurant chain McDonald's.

A 24 hour store was planned for the suburb but the fast food giant backed down agreeing that the store will only open overnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Every other day it will be open from five in the morning to eleven at night.

As part of the compromise, a walkway connecting the suburb's main road to the residential area near the new McDonald's has been closed off. "They will all be restricted to Nicklin Way," said John Meyer-Gleaves, a spokesperson for protest group Say No To McDonald's, referring to late night customers.

The group also managed to get a higher wall placed between the store and the residential area to cut noise and light pollution.

In December, Sunshine Coast Regional Council knocked backed the then-proposed store with mayor Bob Abbot expressing concern about its proximity to a residential area.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only councillor who already has a 24-hour McDonald's in my division, we have enough issues with that one, and this is overkill,” Councillor Chris Thompson, Division 4 in the Sunshine Coast Regional Council, had said about a 24 hour seven day a week store at Minyama.

The 24-hour McDonald's in Councillor Thompson's division, Mooloolaba, is part of a larger complex and does not back onto residential premises.