McDonald’s quietly fights council decision to block a 24-hour fast food joint on trendy Melbourne street

Posted by HurstbridgeLineFTW

21 Comments

  1. aSimpleFerret on

    It’s high st northcote. To those who are familiar with the area, it’s the big rundown building that used to be an Italian restaurant that has the short cut to the parking…

  2. HurstbridgeLineFTW on

    Darebin Council will lose the appeal; more wasted effort and rate payer funds.

    The original application was in line with the zoning for the area.

  3. Material-Painting-19 on

    Complete waste of ratepayers’ money. They will lose. And the site is currently a monstrosity. Posturing by an incompetent set of councillors.

  4. Lasttryforausername on

    I’ll take all the downvotes for this

    But I say Good Build it

    I’m a local of half a century and it’s an over rated strip that’s a bit shit if I’m honest

    It’s no Smith st or Brunswick st

    Don’t see anyone protesting massage or vape shops or abandoned storefronts

  5. Like Tecoma. The locals did not want it. It’s now there and always busy by many locals.

  6. if they’re going to build it they need better parking. I work in Northcote and the main carpark is directly behind the location of where this will be – most of the year it’s [carpark] busy, and especially on weekends it can get difficult to get a park. obviously it’s tricky but if they’re insisting on the McDonald’s they need to accommodate because the carpark will inevitably become more and more overrun…

  7. Afraid_Cockroach_398 on

    I wish there were more McDonald’s in my local area.

    Is what a bot would say.

  8. It’s currently a vandalised, vacant, and abandoned husk of a building for several years now. The NIMBY is strong in Northcote.

  9. I love that we all love McDonald’s until they want to open a new store on a street we deem special and then suddenly people start saying it’s some kind of crack den crime hub. Same happened with Tecoma McDonald’s which is still there and literally nothing has happened

  10. Residents should fight hard, up in Sydney McDonalds did every dirty trick in the books to go 24 hrs near us ( a DA titled Air Purification , hundreds of pages about how environmental friendly they were adding the state of the art purification equipment, bla bla bla – buried in all this was an adjustment for safety that this state of the art could not ever be shut down and had to be manned at all times bla,bla,bla 24 Hr staff and operations. Submitted Melbourne Cup night. Hugely impactful for residents, resulting in changed traffic lights , no access to right hand turn towards city etc. Fight

  11. howsyerbumforgrubs on

    But it’d be lovely if the cut through was lit and I didnt need a torch to get to the car park

  12. Make it a Lord Of The Fries. At least they’re local + vegan + taste better!, Or a local burger joint instead.
    Who needs bum’n’lips burgers?

  13. The one thing heaps of people are so ignorant towards is the 24 hr thing

    I did shift work for 15 years and Maccas is and was one of the only places that was able to feed me sometimes, as shit as the food is it’s often better than going to bed hungry

    I bet you there’s plenty of people in the local area who might benefit from this, shit there’s an FRV station across the road

    Let them open, if it’s quiet and it fails they’ll close it

    Edit: also it’s on the fucking high street lol not in some random spot, business begets business

  14. [Found via google instead](https://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/about-council/documents/planning-committee-meetings/2025/new-folder/planning-committee-meeting-minutes-10-november-2025.pdf)

    > RECOMMENDATION PART A:
    That Planning Permit Application D/67/2001/C **be supported and a Notice of Decision to
    Amend a Permit be issued** for Redevelopment of Northcote Arcade (buildings and works)
    including the erection of advertising signs and the waiving of car parking requirements in
    association with the use of the land for the purpose of a convenience restaurant in
    accordance with the endorsed plans in accordance with the endorsed plans, subject to the
    following changes to Planning Permit D/67/2001 (as amended):

    > **Reasons for Refusal**
    >
    > 1. The proposal is inconsistent with the vision and intent of the local activity centre, pursuant to Clause 11.03-1L-03 (Northcote Activity Centre), which seeks to foster a diverse and locally distinctive mix of businesses that contribute to a walkable, vibrant community precinct.
    >
    > 2. Contrary to Clause 11.03-1L-03 (Northcote Activity Centre), the introduction of a large-format fast-food outlet would materially alter the look, feel, and identity of the precinct, replacing the fine-grained, locally driven business character that currently defines the area with a corporate, multinational, standardised model that does not contribute to local distinctiveness.
    >
    > 3. The proposal would result in adverse environmental impacts and would detrimentally impact the amenity of the surrounding area, pursuant to Clause 65.01, due to the intensity and scale of the proposed use — including late-night operations — which are not in keeping with the established rhythm, amenity expectations, and social fabric of the surrounding neighbourhood and its residents.
    >
    > 4. The proposal would result in unacceptable traffic flow and congestion in relation to vehicle parking, loading and unloading of delivery vehicles, and waste collection, pursuant to Clause 65.01.
    >
    > 5. The visibility of the proposed roof-mounted plant equipment would detrimentally impact the presentation of the building to the streetscape.

    > Committee Decision
    MOVED:
    Cr. J O’Brien
    SECONDED: Cr. E Dimitriadis
    PART A:
    MINUTE NO. 25-176
    That the Planning Committee does not support Planning Application D/67/2001/C and issues
    a Notice of Refusal on the following grounds:

    > For: Crs Boglis, Dimitriadis, Jelley, O’Brien, Sangster, and Villella (6)
    Against: Crs Arturi, Tsalkos, and Olaris (3)

  15. my biggest concern is the amount of ebikes that go along that path already. it’s just going to increase.

  16. If anyone was wondering what currently occupies the real estate where this McDonald’s is proposed to go, it’s a derelict abandoned building