The plans for the drive-through restaurant had been refused last year - but the decision was overturned
17:43, 14 Jan 2026
Derbyshire is set to welcome its newest McDonald's restaurant near the A38, with officials saying it is set to open in the next few months.
Plans for the new drive-through restaurant at the A38 Willington junction were first submitted in late 2023, but were unanimously rejected at a South Derbyshire District Council meeting back in April 2024.
That decision was then overturned in March last year, with the Government's planning inspector S Dean writing that the benefits in terms of employment and economic contributions weighed in favour of the project and that it aligned with district council policies.
In his decision notice, Mr Dean said: “The appeal site is already a somewhat busy environment, with near-constant road noise from the A38, as well as noise and movement associated with vehicles using the junctions around the site, passing the proposed site access and crossing the embankment to the south of the site.
"The appeal proposal would almost certainly result in additional vehicle movements on The Castle Way.
"However, given the existing level of vehicle movements as well as the relatively minor additional level of movement associated with the proposal, I do not consider that this would cause unacceptable harm to living conditions.”
The McDonald's will sit opposite a BP petrol station and the OK Diner, and was previously occupied by a skip storage company.
DerbyshireLive recently contacted McDonald's for an update on the restaurant, with a spokesperson saying the chain is "working towards an opening date of spring 2026."
The confirmation comes just weeks after McDonald's opened its latest restaurant in Derbyshire, which opened near Royal Derby Hospital in early December.
The 116-seater restaurant brought around 80 new jobs to the area and also has its own children's soft-play area - also offering a glimpse at how the new Willington restaurant may look once it opens.