Thursday June 25th 2026
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A new McDonald’s drive thru off a major trunk road has been given the go ahead despite concern over litter issues.
East Lothian councillors voted by eight to one to approve a new application for the restaurant at the Macmerry service station.
Local ward councillor Lee-Anne Menzies had raised concerns that the company’s pledge to carry out three litter picks a day at the site was not enough pointing out rubbish from the drive thru would end up in ‘fields, laybys and communities’ miles from where it was bought.
And she criticised McDonald’s as a global company with a huge profit turnover for failing to invest more in dealing with litter issues caused by customers.
Speaking at the planning meeting, where she was not a voting member, Councillor Menzie said: “When the litter ends up in laybys, roads and fields miles from the site who pays to clean it up? It is not McDonald’s. It is already-stretched councils, our residents picking up the costs and in their groups literally picking up the problem.”
“Their responsibility does not end at an arbitrary boundary around the site. If McDonalds wants to deal with littler then they need to do better.”
Councillors were told planning permission for a McDonald’s on the site had been initially approved as part of its development seven years ago so they could not stop one being built but the new application was for an ‘improved’ drive thru facility.
It includedthe restaurant and drive-thru lane plus a car parking area including two accessible parking spaces, EV chargers for four vehicles and a cycle parking stand.
A total of 11 objections to the application were received by planners with Macmerry and Gladsmuir Community Council also raising an objection to the plans, mainly due to potential litter.
The planning committee heard from a representative of McDonald’s that a litter management plan was in place and the new drive thru would create up to 100 new jobs in the area.
However Councillor Shona McIntosh said the litter plan only included the site and she believed there was a wider responsibility for the fast food chain.
She said: “I believe in producer responsibility as well as individual responsibility. It should be considered here that it is McDonald’s responsibility to deal with litter dumped further away because otherwise we are letting a massive company make a quick buck with an unsustainable business plan and then volunteers, the local council and communities having to pick up the mess.”
Planning convenor Norman Hampshire reminded councillors that the application had to be judged on planning policies adding “any personal view of a particular company should not form any part of the decision you make today”.
He said: “This site is a transport hub which provides a stopping off area where drivers travelling long distances can rest.
“I think this application is fine, McDonald’s is a very popular restaurant which thousands of people go to and it is only a small minority who dump their waste, most do not.”
Councillors agreed to approve the application with an amended condition that at least three litter picks a day were carried out as part of the management plan on the site.
Eight councillors who back the application were Norman Hampshire, Liz Allan, Donna Collins, Jeremy Findlay, Andy Forrest, Colin McGinn, Kenny McLeod and COlin Yorkston. Councillors voting against the application were Cher Cassini, Neil Gilbert and Shona McIntosh.
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