A revised proposal to move the Kwinana McDonald’s has been approved despite community opposition.

The plan to move the fast-food giant’s franchise from Gilmore Avenue to the corner of Meares Avenue and Chisham Avenue was approved 3-2 by the State Development Assessment Panel last week.

An initial plan was rejected in March after the panel ruled it did not follow main street design guidelines.

Panel members were concerned the development would not have created an active, continuous street frontage on Chisham Avenue and could make it harder for future developments to follow the planned design for the area.

The revised plan proposed a building closer to Meares Avenue and Chisham Avenue and made changes to the drive-through.

As part of the approved development, three eucalypt trees will be removed. Replacement plantings were required as part of the approved landscaping conditions.

City of Kwinana mayor Peter Feasey said like many in the community, he was disappointed by the approval.

“I did not believe this was the right location for this development, and I know many local residents felt exactly the same,” he said.

The independent State Development Assessment Panel comprises five members, including two City of Kwinana representatives.

Both city representatives on the panel, councillors Matthew Rowse and David Acker, voted against the proposal because of concerns about its impact on the amenity of the area and the removal of trees.

“Unfortunately, this decision also highlights one of the frustrations many communities have with the DAP process, where planning requirements and technical considerations appear to take precedence over public sentiment, even when a community speaks strongly and respectfully against a proposal,” Mr Feasey said.

“While I respect the process, I know many in our community will be disappointed by this outcome and today I share that disappointment.”

Kwinana local Kate Jones attended the meeting to speak about the community’s concerns, saying the proposal would create more congestion in an already high-traffic area.

“There’s a school just down the road, there’s a volunteer fire station across the road, and it will be in the Aldi shopping centre carpark. All of these things already cause general traffic; adding a McDonald’s on top of it will just end in disaster,” Ms Jones said.

“Something horrific is going to happen, or there will be a big accident. It’s just creating a situation that is detrimental.”

Ms Jones said her other objection to the proposal was the removal of the mature trees.

“The original proposal only had one tree suggested for removal, but there were changes made so now all three of those beautiful, giant trees will be removed,” she said.

“There’s a lot of infrastructure and development currently going on in Kwinana, with a lot of tree removal happening in suburbs in Wellard to build new houses. So I think it’s really important that we protect the trees that we have, rather than prioritising a fast-food development.”

Ms Jones said it was disheartening to hear of the approved development because “it’s not what the community wants”.

Public advertising by the city last month showed 97.9 per cent of submissions objected to the proposal.

Only five of the 238 submissions received supported the development.