By Danny Fullbrook, BBC News, Hertfordshire
![Getty Images McDonald's sign against a blue sky](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/cd81/live/b72add30-273e-11ef-a0aa-318f04db7c53.jpg.webp)
A head teacher says he is “gravely concerned” about plans to build a fast food outlet close to the site of a new school.
Bishop’s Stortford High School is due to move to a new campus on the St James’ Park development in time for the start of term in September.
The developer, Countryside, has applied to include a McDonald’s restaurant as part of a local centre, which is taking shape on the southern edge of the Hertfordshire town.
In a letter to parents, Dale Reeve said the location of the restaurant “could have catastrophic implications for the health and well-being of our students”.
He urged parents to attend a consultation event at St James’ Church in Thorley on 12 June.
![Countryside Bishops Stortford plans](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/fa33/live/7882ee70-27e7-11ef-a13a-0b8c563da930.jpg.webp)
Planning permission for the development was granted in 2019, with work on the local centre of shops and services set to begin in 2025.
A public consultation on the plans describes the McDonalds proposal as “designed to form an integral part of the wider centre, linking the local centre main parade to the employment/industrial uses adjacent”.
The fast food chain declined to comment.
A spokesperson for Countryside said the restaurant and other shops in the precinct would “benefit those already living at St James’ Park, other local residents, and provide local jobs.”
They added: “The St James’ Park neighbourhood provides important new homes for the local community, as well as a mixed-use local centre which will provide shops, restaurant, a gym, a nursery and community facilities.
“The proposed McDonald’s is one part of these proposals.”
A new high school building is due to open in time for the new term in September.
Stephen Taylor, governor of the school, said there were also concerns about safety id a drive-through facility is build so close to the gates.
“It’s not going to serve a community of new housing… it’s going to attract a large number of people to drive to that location.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who travel to school by foot or by bike or use public transport, so there’s a transport and a safety threat there as well,” he said.