According to experts, a new McDonald’s restaurant would be located on a former cemetery where several graves still lie underground.
The development land in Dover is next to the ruins of a church and has already caused controversy, with the fast food chain even appealing to the community to support its proposals.
But heritage experts said in a report to planning officers at Dover District Council: “The decision to site the restaurant building next to the church is poorly thought out and fails to take sufficient account of the adjacent heritage values.
“The restaurant is partly located on the site of the former cemetery.
“It is known that although the cemetery has been cleared, some graves are still underground.”
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The Historic Buildings and Places (HBP) organisation is objecting to plans by the company to build a drive-thru restaurant on the corner of Townwall Street and Woolcomber Street, next to the former St James’ Church in Dover.
HBP, advisers on listed building applications, said on the authority’s planning portal: “Given the historic use of the cemetery, this part of the site has never been developed. It would be highly inappropriate to build a restaurant on this area.
“While the principle of redevelopment is accepted, the proposed site is inappropriate in terms of use, design and location and is detrimental to the setting and historic value of the Dover Castle Conservation Area.
“More specifically, it is damaging to the location of St James’ Church and its significance as a city monument to the shelling and destruction of Dover during the [Second World] war.”
The now desecrated cemetery was officially closed in the 19th century.
An archaeological and heritage survey was carried out on behalf of the applicants by the Environmental Dimension Partnership.
It said that the cemetery had been excavated in 1973 to make way for the parking lot that now occupies that site.
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But it added: “Only minimal archaeological investigations have taken place. The cemetery has been officially closed since 1855, as it was full.”
The fast food giant has applied for a permit to build a restaurant with 118 seats and 55 parking spaces, 10 of which are for charging electric cars.
The application has generated a strong response from the public, with over 500 responses on the planning portal at the time of publication.
About six in ten are against the application, but the rest are in favor.
Opponents fear traffic problems and have complained about the restaurant’s proximity to the ruins of the listed church, saying it would degrade the environment.
Supporters say it would create much-needed jobs and relieve pressure on the highly sought-after Whitfield restaurant.
Find out which planning applications are relevant to you by visiting the website Public Notices Portal.
After massive protests against the plan, McDonald’s took to its Facebook page to explain its arguments for the plan.
It was said the site would create 120 jobs and generate between £50,000 and £60,000 in property tax annually “to help the council fund important local services”.
The company added that the new restaurant would also “relieve pressure on surrounding McDonald’s, which are currently experiencing excessive turnover.”
Dover has not had a branch of the burger chain since 2017, with the nearest branches currently in Whitfield and Folkestone, and another in Sandwich.
A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We are excited about the opportunity to open a new restaurant in Dover and look forward to continuing our discussions with the council and local residents to address any concerns.”
St James’ Church was originally built in the 11th century and restored in the 19th century. It was badly damaged by German bombing in World War II.
After the damaged tower collapsed in 1950, the building was closed. The remains of the building were secured and preserved.
The new restaurant is set to replace the former site of the Dover Leisure Centre, which opened in January 1976, closed in February 2019 and was demolished in March 2020, just before the first Covid-19 lockdown.
It was replaced by the new Dover District Leisure Centre at Whitfield.
Less than a mile away from the planned McDonald’s location, a new Costa Coffee drive-thru building is nearing completion.
The project along the A20 Snargate Street is expected to open in September.