Work to build a new McDonalds restaurant in Darlington is underway. 

The first plans for signage at the Faverdale site have been submitted and approved by Darlington Borough Council. 

A new drive-through branch of the fast food chain will be built alongside Taco Bell and Costa Coffee. Plans for the site were approved in 2023 and also include a new tanning salon, vets, and a ‘bulky goods’ store similar to Wickes.

They are due to join the Lidl supermarket, Home Bargains, and Starbucks drive-through already open at the Faverdale Industrial Estate. Previous plans for a large Tesco supermarket and petrol station were pulled. 

A planning statement read: “Development has yet to commence on [the McDonalds] site and so the land, including the application site, is currently vacant open land. The retail development site is on the western edge of Faverdale Industrial Park bound by offices, commercial units, open space and opposite a new retail development comprising a Lidl supermarket, a Home Bargains store, and a Coffee Drive Thru unit. 

“The McDonalds unit would be located on the ‘Faverdale’ road frontage of the site adjacent to the main vehicular access point into the development.”

Two further applications for further signage proposals on the restaurant unit and within the site have been submitted for consideration.

Council planning officers previously stressed the need for new facilities to serve the expanding West Park estate.

Planning officer David Coates told a meeting: “While there’s an impact on Cockerton there’s a huge amount of development which needs to be serviced in a particular way and Cockerton in its current form won’t do it. As West Park builds out, and because of the limited offer in Cockerton, people are reaching out to Bishop and West Auckland to go to supermarkets.”

This was backed up by data collected by Brinkburn and Faverdale councillor Scott Durham, whose local survey received 370 responses and found 70 per cent were in favour. 

Work on the site is expected to start in due course.