McDonald's appeal for outlet near reserve rejected
Guildford Borough CouncilAn appeal by McDonald's against a decision to refuse planning permission for a new restaurant near a nature reserve in Surrey has been turned down.
Guildford Borough Council rejected the plan for an outlet at a fuel station in Tongham in July 2025 over fears it would "result in the erosion of the countryside".
The Planning Inspectorate, which turned down the appeal, said its main concerns were if the location near Tice's Meadow Site of Nature Conservation Interest was appropriate and if there was enough information to assess the potential impact on protected species and habitats.
McDonald's said it was disappointed but would "explore opportunities for a suitable site".
The fast food chain previously said it was committed to enhancing biodiversity at the site near Tice's Meadow and said the development, on Blackwater Valley Road, would create 120 jobs.
The Planning Inspectorate said it had concerns about "the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area and whether or not it would lead to a greater physical or visual coalescence between the Ash and Tongham urban area and Aldershot".
It added it also questioned if the proposal "would unacceptably harm" the Tongham Pond and nature reserve "or be at odds with the objectives of the Blackwater River Biodiversity Opportunity Area".
The council also originally rejected the plans on the grounds it had not properly assessed the flood risk posed by the development, and that it would erode the corridor of green land between Ash, Tongham and Aldershot.
A petition had called for Guildford Borough Council to reject the McDonald's site, which was first proposed in October 2023, and it received more than 8,000 signatures.
People cited concerns that included protecting the nature reserve and the fact there were other McDonald's branches nearby.
