A bid by fast-food giant McDonald’s to open its ninth Stoke-on-Trent restaurant will create 40 new jobs if the plans get the go-ahead. However, the proposed branch – planned for the old Pizza Hut unit on Jasper Square Retail Park in Tunstall – would not include a drive-thru.
We reported in early May that McDonald’s had applied for permission from Stoke-on-Trent City Council to install advertising signs on the vacant building. Now, a full planning application has been lodged with the local authority.
The unit was occupied by Pizza Hut from 2004 until 2016. It was then occupied by Middletons prior to its closure when the firm ceased trading in January 2023.
The planning application states: “The proposals will bring a vacant unit back into beneficial use and encourage linked trips to other surrounding businesses. It will also result in economic benefits that will directly and indirectly support the local economy, including new employment opportunities and the generation of business rates
“The proposed external works comprise two small-scale extensions that have been designed to complement the existing building, along with the installation of plant and equipment, replacement doors and windows and minor alterations to the layout of the car park. Overall, the proposals will bring this vacant building back into active use and provide a new restaurant in a highly accessible location that fulfils a demand for McDonald’s services in this area.
“It will also result in economic benefits that will directly and indirectly support the local economy, including new employment opportunities and the generation of business rates. The proposals represent a sustainable development that will facilitate the delivery of economic investment.”