By Jed Lanyon
The Maroondah Highway is set to become the ‘McDonald’s Highway’ as two new Macca’s franchises could soon be on the way for Healesville and Chirnside Park.
An application from McDonald’s Australia to amend an already approved planning permit is set to go to advertising for the fast food franchise to set-up shop at 17 Maroondah Highway Healesville.
The application to feature a ‘convenience restaurant’ had already been approved by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) in July 2016, but the tenant of the potential convenience restaurant was not yet known.
That previous decision allowed for the “use and development of the land for hotel, market, restricted retail premises, service station, takeaway food premises and convenience restaurant.”
Some of the changes outlined in the current application amendment by McDonald’s include an additional drive-through lane and waiting bays, as well as an increase in the height of the building.
While Healesville residents won’t be able to push back on the proposal, they can have a say in shaping how the burger chain will look as Yarra Ranges Council seeks feedback for the proposal.
Star Mail previously reported on another planning application submitted for a McDonald’s to go forward in Chirnside Park as well as a Taco Bell, KFC and ten retail stores.
A vacant block of land on Maroondah Highway, located between Fletcher Road and East Ridge Drive near Dan Murphy’s, has had a development application submitted to Yarra Ranges Council on 14 January.
The property had previously been acquired and owned by German company Kaufland until it withdrew from Australia and sold all sites under its ownership. Troon Group now own the three hectare property and have proposed to use a total of 11,607 square metres of land for the retail and food complex.
Developers and planners expect the build to cost $15 million and could see 160 jobs created throughout the build and an extra 278 once the complex is operating.
