McDonald’s has been granted approval to open its first Wānaka restaurant, several months after an earlier proposal was rejected amid widespread public opposition.

The fast-food giant has now secured consent for a new site in the town’s Three Parks commercial area.

Unlike the previous application, which attracted 367 public submissions, the new proposal was approved through a non-notified process, meaning the public had no opportunity to comment.

Concept design of the proposed McDonald’s on Sir Tim Wallis Drive in Wānaka’s Three Parks area. Photo / Supplied

The approval grants consent for a 450.4sq m, single-storey McDonald’s restaurant with a 24-hour drive-through on Sir Tim Wallis Drive.

It also covers signage, earthworks and acknowledged noise exceedances, and allows the restaurant to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The approval marks a sharp contrast with McDonald’s previous proposal on the Wānaka–Luggate Highway near Mt Iron, which was declined last year after drawing 367 public submissions.

The vast majority of submissions opposing the previous application cited concerns about litter, traffic, visual impact and the preservation of Wānaka’s natural landscape.

Wānaka's first McDonalds has got the go-ahead to be built on Sir Tim Wallis Drive. Image / Supplied

Council senior planner Ian Bayliss concluded the proposal would have “no more than minor” adverse effects on the wider environment and that neither public nor limited notification was required under the Resource Management Act.

Although the activity was assessed as “non-complying” under the Proposed District Plan, the council found the proposal passed both legal gateway tests: that its effects would not be more than minor, and that it was not contrary to relevant objectives and policies.

On that basis, consent was granted subject to conditions.

The approval confirms several elements that required consent because they exceed plan limits, including a 6m-high illuminated “golden arches” blade sign where 3.5m is normally the maximum permitted, signage across the building totalling 10.6sq m, earthworks of about 680 cubic metres (above the 500 cubic metre threshold), and noise levels at the residential interface that may reach up to 54dB at night.

The proposed Wānaka McDonald’s would be the town’s first. Photo / Supplied

The council accepted expert peer reviews on traffic and acoustics, concluding any adverse effects would be largely confined to land owned by Willowridge Developments, the site owner, which provided written approval.

Noise modelling found exceedances would not extend beyond land where owner approval had been given.

In its assessment, the council said the design, landscaping and materials were appropriate for the Three Parks commercial environment, that traffic effects would be negligible, and that lighting, servicing and stormwater had been adequately addressed.

The consent includes conditions requiring landscaping to be completed before opening, final sign materials to be approved by council officers, and environmental management plans to be in place before construction begins.

The consent can be exercised for up to five years.

Ben Tomsett is a multimedia journalist based in Dunedin. He joined the Herald in 2023.