If it were up to McDonald’s, Deurne would be the next place where a big yellow M would appear. But many local residents are not interested in the popular hamburger joint. The business would be located in the middle of a residential area. A petition against its arrival has already been signed more than 1,400 times. “We are not against McDonald’s, but we are against this location,” says Maarten van Ooij of the village council.
There is a large banner on the grounds of the Van der Putten party center with ‘McNee’ on it. McDonald’s has applied for a permit for a new location with a Drive Thru at that location. The project developer made an offer for the land to the owner of the banquet hall, Wies van der Putten. He did not yet know what would happen, but knew that an offer from such a party was not tender and agreed.
“A thousand vehicles in a weekend creates life-threatening situations.”
But residents in the Walsberg district are not eager to have Big Mac’s and Happy Meals within walking distance. “I’m not going to deny that I sometimes go to McDonald’s, but not right now,” says Stefan Aspers. He lives directly opposite the banquet hall and thinks it would be a doomsday scenario if the plans go ahead.
“We get nuisance from the traffic and the smell of fries. Litter ends up in the neighborhood. And then there are the vermin that come after it,” he says. “In January there was another McDonald’s in South Holland where there was a plague of rats. You just don’t want that on your doorstep.”
The neighborhood’s biggest objection: road safety. “The intersection here is already very confusing. A thousand cars in a weekend creates life-threatening situations,” says Maarten van Ooij of the Walsberg village council. He also expects congestion on the adjacent N270 that runs from Helmond to Limburg. “The driveway is simply too short for a lot of traffic.”
“I don’t know of any MC in the Netherlands that is located in a residential area.”
The city council is also not happy with the plans. A motion was unanimously adopted on Tuesday, instructing the municipality to investigate road safety. “A McDonald’s in Deurne is fine, but not at this location,” said Frank van Tilburg of the local party Transparant.
Ruud Kuijpers from DeurneNU emphasized that many schoolchildren cycle on that route. “It often almost goes wrong and sometimes even completely.” He pointed out that fast food restaurants are usually located in industrial areas and not in residential areas. The parties want the municipality to look for another location together with McDonald’s.
More than 1,400 opponents have now signed a petition against the arrival of the hamburger shop. These were presented to the mayor on Tuesday. The village council and residents are happy that they have the municipal council on their side, but fear that it will be quite a fight.
Aspers and Van Ooij fear that the municipality has limited resources to prevent a McDonald’s. “But we hope for common sense,” says Van Ooij. “I don’t know of any Mac in the Netherlands that is located in a residential area, so I think there should be options.”
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Netherlands says that it takes the residents’ concerns seriously. “We also strive for a traffic-safe situation. This aspect will always be assessed by the municipality during the permit assessment.”
