Plans for a McDonald's restaurant on the A30 refused

Plans for a new drive-thru McDonalds as part of a massive new service station right next to the A30 near Sidmouth have been thrown out.

The fast food giant had hoped to open as part of a scheme that would also see a roadside service and petrol station built for the site at Straightway Head Junction, next to the Daisymount roundabout, just outside Ottery St Mary.

A petrol filling station with five pumps, a forecourt shop/sales building comprising a sales area, a hot food and coffee outlet, and a 103 space car park were also part of the plans that went before East Devon District Council's development management committee on Monday morning.

Officers had recommended that the plans be given the go ahead, but councillors were left not 'loving in' and voted by nine votes to six to reject the plans based on the unacceptable and significant harm that the buildings would cause in the open countryside due to their landscape impact.

Planners had previously deferred a decision over concerns they had about the proposed design of the scheme and to allow for CGI images to be produced, but the images were described as 'disappointing and misleading' and councillors were told not to give them any weight in making their decision.

Councillor Alan Cook, from West Hill parish council, called for the scheme to be refused, saying that the site cannot be landscaped, it would have a detrimental impact on the rural environment, and would attract people from a wide area and would therefore increase traffic on the roads and urbanise the rural area.

Councillor Jess Bailey added: "This is on the top of a highly prominent hill, is of an urban design, and as it is close to Exeter Airport it can never be properly landscaped and it will always stick out like a sore thumb. It will cause significant detriment to the landscape and a two storey McDonalds will harm the site forever."

Proposing refusal, Councillor Kathy McLauchlan, who represents the Whimple ward in which the site lies, said she was against the scheme due to the significant harm it would cause the open countryside site, while Councillor Ollie Davey added that with service stations in Honiton and Exeter, this scheme was not needed.

Councillor Paul Arnott added: "A drive-thru McDonalds won't serve the needs of any motorists making a long distance journey but will increase the traffic flow and make the area more dangerous. I enjoy McDonalds but this is the wrong place for this."

Councillor Paul Hayward added: "They could do a whole look better with the design and this is the kind of thing I would expect to see on the outskirts of Slough. It is a blight of the landscape and they should come back and build something aesthetically pleasing and not crowbar the committee into making a decision."

Officers had recommended the scheme be approved as they felt the scheme was acceptable in terms of its visual impact on the landscape, albeit recognising that from close range the proposal will be highly visible.

They added planning permission for a much larger service station that also included a hotel had previously been granted and implemented due to the construction of the vehicular access to the site, planning officers said, saying that the principle of a service station in the area has already been agreed.

Jason Lowes, the agent speaking in favour of the application said it was a 'well-designed scheme', would provide somewhere for motorists to safely stop and rest, and the new plans were smaller and less intrusive that the previously consented scheme.

Agreeing with the applicant, Councillor Helen Parr said: "While the extant scheme may not be implemented, it could be, and therefore this application is preferable as there is much less landscape impact. This is preferable, there will be social and economic benefits, and the harm won't be there to the wider landscape."

But councillors agreed by nine votes to six to reject the scheme on the unacceptable and significant harm that the buildings would cause in the open countryside due to their landscape impact.

They added that only very limited weight should be given to the fallback and previously consented scheme, with Councillor Arnott indicating that it was clearly not going to happen and be implemented as 12 years has passed since permission was given and if it was viable then it would have already been built by now.