McDonald’s Not Welcome in Noord-Brabant: ‘Life-Threatening’
There is currently an uproar in Deurne, Noord-Brabant, and it has everything to do with McDonald’s. The fast-food chain would like to open a location in Deurne, but the residents want nothing to do with it. ‘Life-threatening in this location,’ they even say. And their complaints may not be entirely unfounded, because McDonald’s wants to set up right in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
And that is precisely what the residents of Deurne do not want; they would be happy to have a McDonald’s, but not in this location.
‘McNo’
In the meantime, the residents have started a petition, which has already been signed more than 1,400 times, and a sign reading ‘McNo’ has appeared at the site where the new location would be built. Whether the residents’ protest will still have any effect remains to be seen, because the permit has already been applied for — including a drive-thru. So it appears that a Maccie really will be coming to the grounds of party center Van Der Putten.
That sounds ideal in itself; if you’ve had a party there (it is a venue that can be rented for around 360 people), you can stop by McDonald’s afterward. Yet this is a horror scenario for Stefan Aspers, who lives opposite the site: ‘We’ll be dealing with traffic nuisance and the smell of fries. Litter will end up in the neighborhood. And then there are the vermin it will attract. In January, there was still a McDonald’s in Zuid-Holland where there was a rat infestation. You simply don’t want that on your doorstep.’
Safety Is the Most Important Thing
But the residents’ biggest objection is safety. Aspers: ‘The intersection here is already very difficult to see around. A thousand cars over a weekend creates life-threatening situations. The driveway is simply too short for a lot of traffic.’ The municipal council agrees; they think a McDonald’s in Deurne is fine, as long as it is not at this location.
A McDonald’s spokesperson has also responded by now: ‘We, too, are committed to a traffic-safe situation. During the permit assessment, this aspect will always be evaluated by the municipality.’ For now, things remain unsettled in Deurne, and the McNo banner will remain hanging for a while longer.
Also read:
- McDonald’s is changing its menu and vegetarian fans are not happy
- McDonald’s not welcome on the Zuidas
- McDonald’s fans are furious about the Triple Cheeseburger: ‘it looks awful’
Source & image: Omroep Brabant
