Stop McDonald's at White Cliffs Dover UK Threatening Health & Heritage

by Castle Conservation Area Group

Stop McDonald's at White Cliffs Dover UK Threatening Health & Heritage

by Castle Conservation Area Group
Environment
Lawyers: Richard Buxton Solicitors
Dover, United Kingdom
Castle Conservation Area Group
Case Owner
A group of like-minded residents of Castle Conservation Area Dover UK, fighting building of a 24hrs McDonalds Drive-Thru on a graveyard next to a listed scheduled monument, directly under Dover Castle
13
days to go
£3,618
donated of £5,000 stretch target from 142 pledges
Donate now
Castle Conservation Area Group
Case Owner
A group of like-minded residents of Castle Conservation Area Dover UK, fighting building of a 24hrs McDonalds Drive-Thru on a graveyard next to a listed scheduled monument, directly under Dover Castle
Donate now

Latest: June 6, 2025

!!SOS!! Dover - Ronald McDonald once more rears his multinational corporate head

!!SOS!! DOVER, Kent JUNE 2025 - Ronald McDonald once again rears his multinational corporate head, seeking to devour our town under tarmac and over 50 McDonald's signs, destroying the setting of …

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Please help us stop McDonald's building on a former graveyard and steamrolling over this iconic historic part of Dover and the wishes of the community by helping us fund our legal battle against this ill-conceived and inappropriate development, so that we can preserve this part of our national heritage and safeguard the health of our community!

We are calling for your help in overturning this disastrous planning decision as a matter of national health, environmental and heritage concern.

The proposed McDonald’s Drive-Thru under the iconic White Cliffs of Dover makes a mockery of national efforts to reduce obesity in an area plagued by the health crisis and will permanently scar one of the UK's most cherished landscapes. Further, the opening of a 24hr drive-thru will create traffic-mayhem at the gates of the busiest international port in Europe.

Tackling obesity is one of the greatest challenges facing the UK, costing the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer. Dover District has higher than average obesity levels with 69.4% of adults and 17.8% of Year 6 children classified as obese.


The National Planning Policy Framework, which came into force one month before Dover District Council (DDC) voted to grant planning for a 24hrs drive-thru McDonald’s, places responsibility on local planning authorities to refuse applications for fast food outlets within walking distance of schools. DDC have chosen knowingly to ignore this important government guideline. The proposed McDonald’s is just over 200 meters from a primary school.


Around the country councils have been saying No to McDonald's drive-thru planning applications, unfortunately DDC have ignored what other more forward-thinking councils are doing, and disregarded both expert advice, their objections, and the wishes and objections from the public, and granted planning permission for a 24hrs drive-thru McDonald's on this site.


DDC have chosen to ignore objections and concerns raised by Historic England, National Highways, English Heritage, Historic Buildings and Places, Dover Town Council, internationally recognised bat experts, Dover Police and over 300 planning objections as well as over 27,000 signatories to a Change.org petition against a McDonald's Drive-Thru being built on this site.

By allowing the proposal DDC have also voted against their own Local Plan which earmarks the site as an ‘Opportunity Area’ to be used for a ‘mixed-use’ development, not a single-use fast food drive-thru. 

Immediate action is crucial to prevent irreversible damage to a globally recognised Heritage Site and to ensure that future developments in this prime location serve the interests of the community and the environment. The proposed McDonald's Drive-Thru will be on a site directly underneath and in full view of the Grade I listed Dover Castle, will sit adjacent to the Castle Conservation Area on what was once a graveyard, and within two meters of the ruins of the Norman St James's Church, which is a national scheduled monument and a Grade II listed building.
 
The proposed drive-through will be surrounded by Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings and in an area recognised by international bat experts as an area of importance for very rare endangered bat species to roost and forage. The site will operate 24 hours a day with over 50 illuminated and non-illuminated signs, including an 8 meter high Totem Pole Sign with a large yellow illuminated M at the top, which will dominate views of the Castle and the conservation area. 

The window to raise funds to mount a Judicial Review to quash this damaging and totally inappropriate development to protect Dover’s health, history, environment, local businesses and community well-being is rapidly closing. Join us in saying NO to this ill-conceived proposal by donating to help us pay our legal fees to stop DDC from destroying this important historical & ecological site and to urge DDC to prioritise the site for sustainable and heritage-sensitive alternatives.
Please contribute to our fund to safeguard Dover’s legacy for generations to come! Even a small donation of £5 can make a massive difference!

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Update 2

Castle Conservation Area Group

June 6, 2025

!!SOS!! Dover - Ronald McDonald once more rears his multinational corporate head

!!SOS!! DOVER, Kent JUNE 2025 - Ronald McDonald once again rears his multinational corporate head, seeking to devour our town under tarmac and over 50 McDonald's signs, destroying the setting of one of the most historic pieces of land in England forever.

Unfortunately we find ourselves once again needing to comeback to those who feel as we do, that the building of a new McDonald's Drive Thru restaurant in Dover on a former grave yard and within one meter of the of St James' church ruins, which  dates back to 1070 and sites directly under the iconic Dover Castle and next to a primary school,  is wrong.

Earlier this year we mounted legal action against Dover District Council for granting planning permission to build an inappropriate McDonalds Drive Thru restraint on a holy and historic site. The result of our legal action resulted in Dover District Council admitting that they had erred in law by granting planning permission for a McDonald's on such an important historic site and being ordered by the courts to quash the planning permission. 

Sadly even though >34,000 people have signed a petition against the development and the courts have told Dover District Council they erred in law, McDonald's have decided not to listen to the courts or the peoples and have now requested for the planning application to be heard again on the 12th June 2025, as is their legal right under UK law.

We sadly once more need your help in fighting to save this historic site, please give what you can to our legal fighting fund, McDonalds' have deep pockets and a playbook which seems to consist of smash the little guy anyway way they can.

PLEASE NOTE ALL FUNDS RAISED ARE PAID DIRECTLY TO OUR LAWYERS.

To McDonald's people, places and history do not matter, the only thing that matters to McDonald's is profit.

Please give what you can to stop this giant clown swallowing our beautiful town. 

Update 1

Castle Conservation Area Group

March 28, 2025

WE'VE REACHED OUR FIRST £3,000 FUNDRAISING TARGET THANKS TO YOU!!

WE HAVE REACHED OUR FIRST £3,000 FUNDRAISING TARGET - THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
To all of you that signed our petition and donated towards our legal costs to fight the building of a 24 Hour Drive-Thru McDonald's on a former graveyard underneath Dover Castle, WE SALUTE YOU AND GIVE YOU ALL A HUGE THANK YOU!
 
With your help we have been able to get Dover District Council to admit that they "Erred in Law" and should not have granted permission for the proposed development; via your donations we now have the funds to pay our lawyers to get this wholly inappropriate planning decision quashed at the High Court.
 
You are all truly magnificent, we and the people of Dover that care for and fight to preserve & enhance the historic assets of Dover for future generations thank you from the bottom of our hearts, we could not have got this far without your help and support.

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