A bid to build a McDonald’s restaurant – a Maccas – on Balgowlah’s bustling Roseberry Street has been officially and unanimously refused.
On Wednesday, 2 July 2025, the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel (NBLPP), the authority charged with reviewing the proposal, unanimously refused the development application at 37 Roseberry Street, Balgowlah (where Seven Miles Coffee is currently located).
A quick recap
In February this year, the fast food chain lodged a $4 million Development Application with Northern Beaches Council to construct a 24 hours a day, seven days a week restaurant including a 15 car drive-thru and 26 space car park. After fierce backlash from the community, the DA was amended to address concerns around signage, operating hours (reduction from 24/7 to 5am to midnight, seven days a week), and traffic mitigation.
After receiving 740 submissions (with only two in support of the DA), the application was referred to the higher level planning panel, the NBLPP. When Council receives 10 or more submissions objecting to a DA, NBLPP assesses the DA for a determination rather Council.
Concerns around traffic congestion, which was one of the main concerns for locals, and the potential for an increase in anti-social behaviour, were highlighted in the Panel’s refusal.
“The site is not considered suitable for the proposed development because of: the existing congestion in the surrounding road network; the application has not demonstrated the proposed development will not have unreasonable impacts on the already congested surrounding road network; the location at an interface point with a residential zone with consequent amenity impacts; and the incidents of anti-social behaviour in the vicinity recorded by police and their concern for the potential of the proposed development to exacerbate these incidents,” the minutes read.
Northern Beaches Local Area Command raised concerns with the initial application, which had the proposed trading hours as 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They maintained these concerns when the proposed trading hours were revised to 5am to midnight.
In the Police Referral Response, they said in the last 24 months, 58 incidents were recorded for a comparable existing 24-hour McDonald’s located nearby. As for the proposed Roseberry Street site, over the last 24 months, police recorded a total of 112 incidents.
“The introduction of a 24-hour fast-food venue at this location has the potential to exacerbate these incident categories, particularly in relation to assaults, anti-social behaviour, and property damage at night, if reasonable mitigation strategies are not implemented,” Superintendent John Duncan wrote in the Response.
“We say NO to a McDonald’s in Manly Vale”
Before exhibition notices were sent out for the original DA, local community members began to advocate against the development application.
One of their main concerns was the impact a McDonald’s would have to an already congested road that they identified as dangerous for pedestrians. Local parents previously told us how they struggled to safely cross the street by the Roseberry Street/Kenneth Road roundabout and many complained the traffic report (commissioned by McDonald’s) was “laughable”.
“It doesn’t account for existing traffic issues, the drive-thru queue overflow, existing road rage incidents, pedestrian safety trying to cross the road, the knock-on effects to the traffic flow when McDonald’s customers can’t enter or exit, or the effect of additional delivery vehicles,” Manly Vale local, Racheal, told us earlier this year.
“The additional negative traffic load will make conditions worse for residents, businesses, and commuters in the area. These implications alone should be a reason this DA should not be supported by Council.”
Other concerns shared by residents were the proposed land use (being so close to a residential area), noise impacts, ordour impacts, proposed hours of operation and anti-social behaviour, and environmental impacts.
Members of the community took to creating a Facebook group to spread the word beyond Council’s required exhibition area. The group has over 400 active members who celebrated the Panel’s refusal of McDonald’s DA.
An online petition was also created and attracted almost 4,000 signatures.
What’s next for Maccas?
Whether McDonald’s will seek a review or appeal the Panel’s decision is a wait and see.
Manly Observer reached out to McDonald’s for a comment but, at the time of publication, have yet to hear from them. If we do, the article will be updated.
In the meantime, you can read our earlier coverage:
Maccas alters DA after 600 submissions against Balgowlah debut
