Traffic, rubbish, business and environmental concerns at Cowes McDonalds hearing

MORE than 1300 written objections to the proposed McDonalds restaurant in Cowes have already clogged the Bass Coast Shire Council website.

And more than 100 people turned out at a public hearing in the Berninneit cultural centre in the town on Wednesday afternoon this week to hear several of those objectors speak to their submissions.

At two sessions, one in the afternoon and one at night, they raised concerns about traffic congestion, particularly in the vicinity of the Cowes Primary School, the impact on local business and the visitor experience at Phillip Island, litter, anti-social behaviour attracted by its 24/7 hours of operation and also that the proposed development, partly on residentially-zoned land, was simply in the wrong location.

As one of the early submitters said, people who live in a residential area can reasonably expect to live in peace.

So, what is being proposed:

• It is proposed to use and develop a purpose built, convenience restaurant (maximum 50 seats), on the site (corner Thompson Ave and Settlement Road) to be operated by McDonald’s, with associated drive-through, car parking, landscaping and business identification signage.
• Concurrently, the application seeks to demolish an existing shed and free-standing fuel pump to facilitate the creation of a new easement across the land at No. 157 Thompson Avenue, in favour of land at 190-194 Settlement Road.
• The applicant is seeking to operate the restaurant 24 hours, 7 days-a-week.
• There will be 16 on-site car spaces provided within the western half of No. 190-194 Settlement Road.
• There will be 4 x bicycle hoops (7 spaces) provided proximate to the primary entrance.
• A drive-through with two lanes for ordering wraps around the northern, eastern and southern sides of the building.
• The subject land is zoned General Residential Zone and Commercial 1 Zone.

The Bass Coast Shire Council Mayor Cr Brett Tessari welcomed everyone to the hearing which started at 3pm on Wednesday, September 30 and continued at 6pm in the evening.

He asked for people to respect the applicant and not to focus their attention on the food or products provided by McDonalds as it wasn’t relevant to the planning decision to be made by council.

However, a 13-year-old student from Newhaven College, who already had her speech written out for the hearing, delivered a personal repudiation of the content of McDonald’s meals, which was essentially at odds with the mayor’s request.

He did however thank the girl for showing a keen interest in public affairs.

Cr Tessari laid out the ground rules at the start of the hearing, with all but two of the full council present, the CEO Greg Box and a number of shire officers.

“Just a reminder of the purpose and the format we're going to go through today. So, we recognise the sheer number of the submissions against the application and we’re here to offer the opportunity for you guys to talk to us.

“So, just so you know, there's no decisions that will be made today. This is purely a chance for you to talk to us and for us to sit here and listen.

“Each submitter will be given three minutes just to come forward to the microphone here and speak to us and let us know your reasons for your submissions.

“A detailed letter to the submitters was sent out or email should have been received, and just to let you know that no placards or props or posters will be put tolerated.

“And if I can ask everyone to be respectful of everyone here, and also to a certain extent, be respectful to the applicant.

“Just so you know, we're not here to critique the applicant's food or to determine whether we like their type of product. We're purely here to talk about the application and the reasons why you are against the application.

“So, if we can all be just remember that, I won't allow it to go down the path of a critique of their food because that has no bearing on why we're here today. It's purely to talk about the submissions. With that, let's get it started because that's what we're here for,” said Cr Tessari.

The first person to address the hearing was 35-year Phillip Island resident and local business operator Geoff Moed who expressed particular concerns about the impact of McDonalds on local business.

“I'm a 35-year resident of Philip Island, so I'm not quite a local. I'm a former chairman and current member of the Philip Island Business Network. Previous long-term board member of Destination Phillip Island. Owner, creator, builder, and operator of Amaze’n Things for 32 years, current director of Panny's Amazing World of Chocolate, a significant donor to the Bass Coast Community Foundation, landlord of two shops in Cowes.

“My more recent claim of fame is a father of a local teacher and local paramedic, grandfather of four kids, and lastly a resident of Settlement Road.

“From a business perspective, McDonald's will destroy the livelihood of current food businesses who live local, buy local, and support local.

“McDonald's will take a significant percentage of their profits off the island and out of the country. They do not support local suppliers in terms of their supplies, ingredients, equipment, or construction. These are all sourced from out of the area by head office.

“The most quantitative thing that they leave the local area with is a ship like a rubbish.

“From a marketing perspective, having McDonalds on the island will weaken the marketing image for Philip Island as a natural destination and make it more difficult to promote us as something different to metropolitan Melbourne. And metropolitan Melbourne is the source of 80% of our visits.

“So, by diminishing our image of being different from metropolitan Melbourne, it makes us less attractive to them.

“From the first week McDonald's opening in Bass many years ago, at Amaze’n Things, we were picking up their rubbish from our property.”

He went on to dispute McDonald’s would be a significant youth employer and to state that it should be rejected on environmental and health impact grounds.

“As a Settlement Road resident, I can tell you that even in non-holiday periods, this area and roundabout has very bad traffic flows, particularly at school drop-off and pick-up times, and during school holidays, the traffic regularly backs up from Settlement Road all the way back a kilometre or more.”

He called the traffic report prepared by the applicant a joke and asked what council intended to do if traffic congestion in the area became debilitating.

“So, in summary, I object to the proposal as it would not be good for business, traffic, environment, the economy, or the general quality of life. They’re the reasons.”

The second speaker, Giuseppe Brogno, raised his concerns about the inappropriate nature of the proposal, on residentially zoned land, over the road from the primary school.

“I recognise that Council is assessing a planning application, rather than deciding whether people should eat at McDonald's. However, planning decisions shape the kind of community we become and this proposal raises serious concerns about location, amenity and the long-term character of Cowes,” said Mr Brogno.

“This is not simply a small restaurant within an established commercial precinct. The development extends across three residentially zoned properties and introduces an intensive, late-night commercial operation alongside residential areas.

“A 24-hour drive-through will generate vehicle movements, headlights, illuminated signage, ordering noise, deliveries and waste collection at times when nearby residents should reasonably expect peace.

“It may also create additional litter beyond the site and place greater pressure on an already busy intersection, particularly during holiday periods and major events.

“I am also concerned about the proposal's proximity to residential areas and a primary school. While community health may not be the sole planning test, Council should consider whether a prominent, car-focused, fast-food development supports the healthy, connected and family-friendly community that Phillip Island seeks to be.

“Claims about employment should also be examined carefully. Cowes already has many local cafés, restaurants and food businesses employing young people. A large multinational outlet may create jobs within its own premises, but that does not necessarily mean a net increase in local employment if spending and employment are simply displaced from existing independent businesses.

“Those local businesses do far more than sell food. They reinvest locally, support other Island suppliers, give Cowes its individual character and help create the experience visitors come here to enjoy.

“My concern is not about shielding businesses from fair competition; it is about whether this development, in this location and at this intensity, produces a genuine net community benefit.

“Once residential land is converted to a high-turnover, 24-hour drive-through operation, its effects will be difficult to reverse. Council should not accept avoidable harm to residential amenity, traffic conditions and local character on the assumption that operating conditions will solve every problem later.

“Councillors, Phillip Island does not need to look like every other highway destination. Its strength lies in its environment, community and distinctive local businesses.

“For these reasons, I respectfully ask Council to refuse the application,” said Mr Brogno.

Other issues raised included:

• Local cafés and restaurants do far more than simply provide food, they invest in the success of their local community.
• Cowes doesn’t need to look like every other highway location.
• As a parent of two children who attend Cowes Primary School, my number one concern is the impact on the safety of kids attending the school. As anyone will have seen who attend school drop off and pick up this is a very busy area which would be impacted by this sort of development.
• Concerned about litter and light pollution of 24/7 operation in an area where there are a lot of birds.
• This development does little to foster healthy lifestyles.
• The development isn’t in the best interests of our community, our children, our health, our lifestyle and our wildlife.
• Concerned about exhaust fumes from the cars and cooking.
• Will attract anti-social behaviour at a 24-hour restaurant in a town without 24-hour police station.
• One speaker took issue with it being called a “convenience restaurant” saying that the impacts of the development would be in no way “convenient”.
• Another objected to the loss of a number of established trees.

Long-term resident of Phillip Island, Trevor Ware, the former owner of the local IGA supermarket and board member of Melaleuca Aged Care said he was concerned about overflow parking at both those nearby locations and traffic impacting the livability of Cowes.

He said it was interesting to note that a similar bid for a McDonald’s restaurant Cowes on the Isle of Wight in the UK had rejected on July 29, 2026 and the Bass Coast Shire Council should do likewise.

The last speaker of the afternoon session made a final earnest appeal to the council: “It is your moral duty as councillors to reject this application.”

Cr Tessari said at the end that it would be “a massive decision for council” and all of the issues raised would be considered in council’s deliberations.

But speaking to the Sentinel-Times afterwards about when the decision would be made, he said that hadn’t yet been decided, after consultation with the shire CEO Greg Box.