Fast-food giant McDonald's has been given resource consent to build a restaurant in the Auckland suburb of Balmoral despite strong community opposition.
The Balmoral Community Group which has been fighting the plans for two years says it is surprised and disappointed by the decision.
The group argued the McDonald's restaurant would create unsafe traffic conditions, noting that it is almost impossible to make a left-hand turn into Dominion Road from the site.
The group's secretary, Justine Tringham, says McDonald's is not a low-impact business. A lot of traffic moves on and off the site, people drop litter by the restaurant and late-night patrons are often noisy, she says.
Ms Tringham says the commissioners do not seem to care about the effect this will have on Balmoral residents.
McDonald's says it is naturally pleased to have been given resource consent to develop the restaurant.
It says the commissioners found that the restaurant will attract economic and employment benefits to Balmoral, providing employment and training opportunities for a significant number of mainly young people.
