THE Salisbury Journal (January 22) reports the latest attempt by developers Life Properties to wish a second McDonald’s restaurant upon our city.

To do this they have an updated (improved?) planning application for a site adjacent to Tesco car park and filling station on Southampton Road.

Along with this proposal is the construction of a hotel and here we can realise the real purpose of the McDonald’s – described as a drive-through restaurant.

The hotel will not, strictly, be a hotel at all and the clientèle will use the McDonald’s for breakfast and possibly their evening food, although some may walk or drive into the city in the evening.

The developers say the close proximity of the park and ride will encourage the clientèle to come into the city and spend money.

I somehow doubt that. Being a budget hotel, many of the clientèle will be working people who have had to travel to be near their transitional jobs and will come, stay, work and go.

The “drive-through” part is really a bit of a smoke screen and why would anybody wish to drive through, grabbing a burger, fries and a coffee to consume while driving onward.

Shouldn’t the traffic police be interested in such hazardous behaviour?

The be all and end all of this application is the site.

An already congested road, a plot of land that spends most of its time being waterlogged and against the core strategy.

Definitely a NO!

I note also that the developers are going to put in measures to prevent flooding.

An underground Olympic-sized swimming pool, like Sainsbury’s?

Tankers to regularly pump the water out and take it away as Ed Miliband apparently thought could happen during the recent UK floods? As a footnote, I see that the developers say the land is overgrown and in poor condition – think I had better get the wellies out and start employing a spade and fork on my back garden.

Brian Ford

Salisbury