Our beautiful village is being RUINED by McDonald’s & KFC – now Greggs and M&S are opening shops… we want them gone
FUMING residents have claimed that their beautiful village is being ruined by McDonald's and KFC - and they don't want any more shops opening.
The Hearts Service station, near Beccles, houses the fast food outlets and could double in size if plans to expand it are approved by the council.
It means locals who are already unhappy with McDonald's and KFC could soon be joined by a Greggs and M&S.
The service station is also set to get a farm shop and an electric vehicle charging hub.
Developers who submitted proposals to the council insist that the project will bring jobs and investment.
But locals are unconvinced, believing existing problems of littering, noise and light pollution linked to the site will worsen.
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Many claim that the expansion will mean that the small community and surrounding countryside will be further crowded out by the sprawl from the service station.
Mrs Wilson, who has lived in the village for 50 years and volunteers at coffee mornings organised at the village hall is one local opposed to the plans.
She told the : "As it is, the service station is noisy, I am woken up all the time.
"From my house, I can see the KFC sign. The light pollution the services generates is awful.
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"Mcdonald's is 24 hours, it just doesn't stop. If the plans go ahead they will be building even closer to my house.
"The village used to be peaceful and quiet. The plans aren't fair."
She continued: "The applicant has said there will be social benefits to a Greggs drive-through which is laughable, how can it be? This coffee morning at the village hall however certainly is sociable.
"I walk my dog every day and on each walk, I fill up a bag of McDonald's and KFC litter. It is just awful."
Brian Bowden, who has lived in the village for 22 years, has similar fears.
"The plans should be scrapped. The roads here are so small, we have too much traffic as it is," he added.
"My main issue with drive-throughs is the kind of idiots in their cars they attract. People littering and driving stupidly, at all hours of the night.
"There is no way making the service station even bigger can possibly do any good."
Morris Jeffery has lived in the village for 12 years to enjoy his retirement with his wife.
And he says that the place had changed drastically in such a short period.
Morris said: "It is no longer the village I know.
"It has changed so much, the whole atmosphere of the place has changed, it was a quiet village, I just don't know when it will stop."
It is no longer the village I know. The whole atmosphere of the place has changed"
Morris Jeffery, resident
Susan Oglesby, another coffee morning volunteer, has been a Gillingham resident for six years said: "I think it is a truly bad idea. The village doesn't need it.
"It will cause traffic problems and light pollution which is already an issue and just very unfair."
A spokesperson for the developers said: “Our proposals will deliver a host of significant benefits for the local area.
"The creation of around 100 permanent jobs will also be a major boost for the local economy, along with the significant investment we will be providing.
“We are keen that the community can share in this economic boost, with trade counters available for local firms, which are already generating significant levels of interest.
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“At the outset, we have ensured that our landscaping strategy is at the heart of our proposals.
"With significant tree planting proposed to enhance the site, our proposals will also provide a considerable biodiversity net gain.”