We don’t want a Burger King in our tiny town – we already have 100 fast food restaurants… our kids will get FAT
RESIDENTS say they don't want a Burger King in their tiny town - because they already have 102 fast food shops.
Over two-third of locals in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire are overweight.
The town already has twice as many takeaways per resident as neighbouring areas.
Now the local council has approved plans for a Burger King branch on the outskirts of Mansfield - next to Dunkin Donuts and opposite McDonald's.
Local Susan Richardson, 60, told The Sun: "This country is in such a mess.
"They should be dealing with the homeless rather than pushing another Burger King.
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"We do not need another Burger King. People can’t afford it anyway.
"They should choose to cook at home and eat healthier.
"I don’t want to see any more of these restaurants going up. It is just making this road even busier and every journey takes far longer than it should."
Mansfield, a town of 110,000 people, is already home to one Burger King restaurant as well as four Subways, three McDonald’s and two KFCs.
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In 2019, the Healthy Mansfield Commission found the town had 96 fast food outlets per 100,000 residents.
Sue Hopkins said: "A lot of shops are closing and the fast food places are keeping going and adapting.
"The older kids go to Tim Horton’s in town. They are always ordering.
"It is a struggle to get them to eat healthier."
Elliott Russell, 30, said: ‘It’s bad that there are not more healthy alternatives.
"We have Crunch but that closes at 5pm and it’s next to a chippy which is open a lot later."
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Jeremy Smith, 46, said: "We need more variety. There are just too many fast food places with processed food and it’s getting worse.
‘I personally gave up processed foods 20 years ago because whenever I went to a McDonald’s I never felt full and my body reacted in a negative way.
‘It’s not just obesity. It affects your cognitive abilities but unfortunately people don’t think about the long term effects, just the immediate craving.
"The Council should be prioritising healthy alternatives."
But Frank Davis, 52, said he couldn’t wait for the Burger King to open.
He said: "What’s the problem? People don’t have to buy out of them.
"The politicians should keep their noses out.
‘As a lorry driver, I don’t think we’ve got enough. I’m always for more outlets."
Local MP Ben Bradley said: "On the one hand, you've got a public health function, which is trying to tackle obesity.
"Separately you've got a planning authority and a regime that pays no attention to public health whatsoever. It happens all the time."
Mansfield mayor Andy Abrahams said: "We are very aware of the obesity issues in Mansfield which is why Mansfield District Council is working hard to encourage healthy eating through a variety of proactive strategies.
"In respect of planning applications for fast food outlets, the council’s power to refuse such applications has limits which are governed by national planning policy criteria.
"We tried to refuse planning permission for one fast food outlet on health grounds in Mansfield in 2019.
He added: "We didn’t want it and we had 103 objections to it from local residents.
"But the company – McDonalds – appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and won their appeal.
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"Losing planning appeals is a costly business and one the council would seek to avoid where possible."
"Despite having our hands tied by national policy, we have a policy that allows us restrict any new hot food takeaways so that they are not within 400 metres of secondary schools or colleges."
