McDonald’s Newtown’s Return Sparks Anger Over ‘Sneaky’ Approval Pathway

McDonald’s is proceeding with a new Newtown restaurant just 500 metres from the site where its King Street proposal was rejected twice, causing local anger over how the latest development was approved.

The fast food giant began construction on the former Enmore Road Oporto restaurant on September 25, after the application was lodged on September 21 and approved the following day. The $1.2 million project was approved through a complying development certificate (CDC) by a private certifier.

Unlike a standard development application (DA), a CDC can be approved by council or an accredited private certifier without a full DA or public exhibition, given the proposal meets the relevant development standards. NSW Planning describes complying development as a fast-tracked approval process.

The King Street Rejection

McDonald’s first attempted to return to Newtown through a proposed 24-hour restaurant at 212-214 King Street in July 2025.

The application was publicly exhibited for 21 days and gained 1,433 submissions with the majority opposing the proposal. The City of Sydney’s Local Planning Panel then refused the application in October 2025.

McDonald’s later submitted a revised proposal in January 2026 with reduced trading hours, but that application was also unsuccessful. The company took the matter to the Land and Environment Court before abandoning the case in September.

The King Street proposals raised concerns over delivery riders, pedestrian safety, rubbish, late night activity and the impact of another major fast food outlet on Newtown’s independent businesses.

Newtown Community Pushes Back

K-Shift, a citizen-led group advocating for King Street and Enmore Road to be more people-first, criticised the speed of the process: “If only street improvements could happen this fast.”

The reaction has spilled into the Enmore 2042 Facebook group where residents criticised the way the approval was handled.

“This is worse than putting it on King st,” wrote Jason Clark.

Lynn Stanton described the process as “sneaky,” writing that it allows “a private certifier to legally issue an automatic approval without requiring public exhibition or a community council vote.”

Meanwhile, a McDonald’s spokesman defended the certification, telling the Sydney Morning Herald the Enmore Road restaurant “met all necessary guidelines under relevant legislation” and that the company looks forward to becoming part of the Newtown community.

The new restaurant will mark McDonald’s return to Newtown after its previous outlet closed in 1998.