A McDONALDS drive-thru restaurant and a 65-bedroom Premier Inn hotel will be built on Southampton Road after a planning inspector granted permission.

The controversial project was denied permission by Wiltshire Council over traffic fears and poor design but the developer appealed the decision leading to an inspector presiding over a hearing in July.

Prior to the two-day hearing, Wiltshire Council said it no longer objected over highway concerns after the applicant submitted plans to address the concerns.

It left the inspector to make a decision over the effect on the vitality and viability of Salisbury city centre and the effect on the character and appearance of the area.

Publishing his decision today (Wednesday), inspector Michael Boniface said the development would "not harm the vitality or viability of the city or the character and appearance of the area".

He said: "I have had regard to the council’s view that external lighting and signage would be likely to harm the character of the area.

"However, any signage would be subject to separate control under the advertisement regulations and does not form part of this appeal.

"Overall, I conclude that the development would not harm the character or appearance of the area."

He added that a suggestion made by the council that the development would interfere with views of the cathedral was an unfounded concern, adding that the site and surrounding urban development bore no visual relationship with the medieval part of the city.

The development will be built on the strip of scrubland between the Tesco superstore and the Southampton Road park and ride site.

The appeal was made by Life Property Salisbury Ltd and Shieldtype Projects Ltd.