Mansfield Matters

09/11/2022

Great story - paragraph 4 is a highlight

18/10/2022

We are pleased with the outcome opposite the old Railway Station.
The developers have realised how strongly the community opposes a high traffic volume drive through fast food restaurant in Mansfield, especially close to the Primary School and the Heritage Railway Station.
The "Mansfield Commons" is a good alternative, which we support.
Well done, everybody, on protecting the health of our children, the amenity of local residents, and the town's Gateway.
Kym Lynch has written an excellent summary in this week's Courier, on behalf of Mansfield Matters Group.

14/10/2021

Amazing community effort and leadership contributed to this wonderful outcome. Well done to the many and to the handful that have done the heavy and strategic lifting. Thanks must go to Council for defending their decision and listening to and partnering with their community.

02/06/2021

Thanks for the expert advice Lucy Marks and Andy Kappes

Day 3 of ▪️ 5 in 5 ▪️
- 'Food & Nutrition' with Lucy Marks & Andy Kappes

For the next 3 days, we will be re-sharing the last 5 months of the Mansfield Resilience Project webinars to remind us of all the tools and resources that we have in our toolbelts as we all face the daily challenges of Lockdown 4.0 here in Victoria.

Have a watch and let us know what you think, and feel free to SHARE the videos to give others the tools and resources that you are building.

Stay well and Stay SAFE 💚

WEBINAR 3 - 'Food & Nutrition' with Lucy Marks & Andy Kappes
https://www.facebook.com/113448217239749/videos/3921352457991460

29/04/2021

Great decision on social, economic and environmental grounds with planning, health, resident amenity, heritage, strategic planning, local business and sustainability all core issues contributing: underpinned by a design and development overlay put in place by those who had the foresight to protect our entrance to town and heritage precinct. Thank you for the overwhelming support.

22/04/2021

We Won! Yep big win for our community.
VCAT today have upheld Council’s decision to refuse to issue a planning permit - so no drive through fast food development. The design and development overlay protecting our alpine approach and town gateway was critical to the decision. Thanks to Council for the foresight to have it in place. Thank you to all the objectors, supporters and contributors.

22/12/2020

Thank you for the donations! The developer has taken Council and more than 270 objectors, represented by Mansfield Matters Group to VCAT early next year. Your financial support will mean the business and community voice will be heard.

25/11/2020

On the entrance and exit to town, directly accessing Station St and opposite the Great Victorian Rail Trail, the Visitor Info Centre and our Station Precinct is the site for the proposed truck stop and drive through, ultra processed fast food convenience restaurant. What a poor welcome to our very special town.

24/11/2020

According to Business Insider, the average McDonald's restaurant takes in around $2.7 million a year in sales. McDonald's franchise owners fork out over 15 percent of their sales every month to the big Golden Arches machine. All input supplies are centrally purchased - and transported. The franchisee typically makes around $150k profit per annum.
That’s a lot of $ leaving town.

According to Reader's Digest (via The Wall Street Journal), McDonald's raked in 27.4 billion in revenue in 2014. No wonder there’s plenty of coin for mass marketing!

Read More: https://www.mashed.com/178309/how-much-mcdonalds-franchise-owners-really-make-per-year/?utm_campaign=clip

23/11/2020

Thanks Tilley Wilson! Recent study Fast Food and Obesity: A Study in a Local McDonald's, is entirely consistent with results from a recent health study done in our own region that showed Mansfield and Alpine Shire to have the lowest rates of obesity in young people - no coincidence that they are the only 2 shires in the study without an ultra processed fast food restaurant.

A community for UC San Diego biology students

23/11/2020

McDonalds have a tightly controlled and external food supply, that means nothing is bought locally. McDonalds trucks in everything, from centralised locations on pallets, and the dollars all leave town. Whereas local businesses have discretion as to where they choose to buy and many, where possible, support local or regional growers and suppliers. As consumers, we enjoy the benefits of local businesses buying locally; in the fresh food and seasonal variety, in the jobs generated and small businesses supported, in a wonderful multiplier effect.

Mansfield Matters Group is a volunteer collective of people who object to the applications for the convenience, ultra processed fast food, drive through convenience restaurant that will be connected directly to the truck stop size service station, on our entry to town, right next to residential houses, requiring access via small residential streets and opposite our heritage precinct.

If you feel similarly about the future we do and don't want for Mansfield, please contribute to help us argue our strong planning, economic, social, health and environmental case at VCAT.

Donate now!

10/11/2020

Will you help? Please donate to Mansfield Matters Fighting Fund. Set up by locals for legal costs at VCAT to defend against the developer, who is challenging Council's unanimous refusal to grant a permit for fast food drive through convenience restaurant opposite Station Precinct and up scale of service station for B double trucks and integration with drive thru restaurant. All the details in the flyer

30/10/2020

There are significant differences between the development applications on corner Malcolm and Chenery Streets and the one on the Highway as you come into town.

Opposite the Station:
This is the town gateway .. when you come over the Melbourne Hill, you're "home", and many people don't want to be greeted by a large fast food franchise sign. And it's opposite the (heritage) Railway Station. Both these things mean that for many years, it has been highly protected by the planning scheme, unlike Chenery and Malcolm.

Then there's the vast difference in scale and service between the proposals:
The proposal at the town gateway is for a very large B-double truck, petrol (highway type) station, with a very high internally illuminated canopy, a convenience store plus a convenience restaurant (to seat 80 + people), plus a drive through. This will have a very large health impact, will impact on the small food businesses and the producers that supply them, and make the area almost unliveable for the surrounding residences (B doubles braking, headlights shining into living rooms, noise, fumes, odour). It's the sort of development that belongs on a major highway, and not with direct access onto a very small suburban street. (Ultimo/Station St)

The Chenery St proposal essentially replaces the old service station that used to be there and has a Convenience Store, not a Convenience Restaurant. It's a suburban style petrol station, not a trucking stop, and has a much smaller convenience store only (not a convenience restaurant).

There is also the difference between fast food and ultra processed fast food with centralised supply chains, not to mention the significant marketing investment targeting children.

28/10/2020

Our approach to Mansfield invites you in and beyond. Not a golden arch in sight.

27/10/2020

Mansfield Shire Council identifies leadership as a key value: one that resonates strongly for our Mansfield Matters group.
"Addressing tough issues head on, being accountable for the decisions we make and planning for the long-term future and prosperity of this Shire. We take our role as advocates on behalf of the community very seriously and will work tirelessly to ensure our collective voice is heard."

19/10/2020

Found while moving cattle in Booroolite - not staged. Litter and McDonalds go hand in hand. And of course we're not suggesting that litter is just a Maccas problem - litterers are the cause of the problem. Maccas with all its packaging just adds to the problem and it is well documented that Maccas litter accounts for the most.

19/10/2020

bit of a laugh... or is there more to it?? 🤣

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