Plans for Wagga's Fox Street McDonald's to go 24 hours lodged with council

Halfway Hamburgers has this week lodged a development application with Wagga City Council to change the operational hours at the restaurant on Fox Street, which has major street frontage to Edward Street and the thousands of vehicles that pass on the Sturt Highway each day.

If the proposal is approved, the sole CBD McDonald's will become the second 24-hour Maccas for the city.

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Fries fiends will be able to access late-night feasts from city centre rather than travelling to Glenfield Park - Wagga's original 24-hour McDonald's - if the current hours of 5am to midnight are extended at Fox Street.

It only applies to the drive-thru operations, with the restaurant to remain closed to late-night patrons.

"Police confirmed that a drive-thru premises will present less opportunity for anti-social behaviour than those that trade as an eat-in operation after midnight," a report prepared by Salvestro Planning on behalf of Halfway Hamburgers said.

Attracting the existing passing highway traffic and alleviating pressure on the suburban store are factors in the request to extend opening times, documents lodged with council indicate.

"[It will] service and capture both residents and passing traffic along the busy highway, instead of pushing traffic into the suburbs ... this will allow for a decrease in traffic throughout the city during the early hours of the night time," the DA documents outlined.

"The proposal will provide a convenient service for both local residents and passing traffic to access a food premise within the early morning trading period. It will also provide an easily accessible location for passing traffic who require a safe and appropriately-lit location to allow customers to stop for a break."

There are no plans to modify the existing access - which is solely from Fox Street - to the McDonald's grounds.

Given its location adjacent to a 24-hour service station, the proponents consider additional traffic impacts will be minor in scale and have undertaken an acoustic study, which recommends signage in the drive-thru area to advise customers to respect the amenity of the neighbourhood.

A noise complaint register open over 12 months from July 2020, when trade opened an hour earlier at 5am, received no submissions.

"It could be argued that there will always be a level of traffic noise within the area due to the busy highway, railway line and 24/7 service station," the proposal noted.

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