The Melbourne street voted the world’s coolest is about to become the scene of a David and Goliath battle as Northcote residents and business owners fight plans for a new McDonald’s on High Street, saying it will ruin the character, and the vibe.
The proposed 24-hour fast-food outlet has sparked concerns about its potential effects on existing businesses and the overall atmosphere of the popular street.
“We wouldn’t call McDonald’s a cool shop,” local trader Nina Bondarenko said.
David Norton, another resident, echoed these sentiments.
“I think being a bigger, fast food, corporate in my opinion doesn’t fit in with the vibe of the area,” he said.
McDonald’s says the new restaurant would create more than 100 jobs. However, critics argue that the fast-food chain could drive out smaller, independent businesses.
“It would actually, probably divert a lot of customers to the quick fix food option instead of going to the usual kebab shops, the Japanese shops,” Ms Bondarenko said.
The proposed 24-hour opening time for the McDonald’s is also a point of contention.
“Running a pub, you know, nothing good happens after about 1am. So you really don’t want lots of activity late at night,” local pub manager Ben said.
The local council is expected to make a decision on the application in the coming months.
Similar community opposition has proven successful in preventing McDonald’s restaurants from opening elsewhere in Victoria.
Last year, the Mt Evelyn community successfully opposed a similar proposal, and in 2013, residents of Tecoma also campaigned against a McDonald’s development.
“There’ll be a lot of fighting,” Ms Bondarenko said.
“We want to help small business, keep their diversity, their beautiful individual interests going.”
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
