AN APPEAL was made to Basingstoke council's development control committee on Wednesday not to further expand the town's leisure park.

Cllr Sean Keating said: "The people in West Ham Close are currently in a position whereby increasing development of the leisure park is impacting on them to a serious extent. Their lives are being made unbearable.

"They are effectively the throughway for foot traffic to the park. That usually takes place late in the evening - often by people who are inebriated. People in West Ham Close are subjected to vandalism and intimidation on a constant basis. We as a council have ignored the concerns of these residents who were there before the Leisure Park was developed."

Cllr Keating was speaking in support of a petition from 46 residents against joint applications by McDonald's and KFC for drive-through restaurants in Euskirchen Way at the Leisure Park.

"I urge my fellow councillors to reject these proposals and any further development of the leisure park until such time as the council takes steps to preserve and protect the interests of the residents of West Ham Close."

But the committee granted permission for the two drive-through restaurants with landscaping and car parking around them.

Recommending approval, planning officers told the committee that the site lay in the settlement policy boundary of the town in which there was a presumption of favourable consideration for development.

They also felt that the proposals would provide a useful addition to the range of facilities currently at the leisure park.

They added: "While it is accepted that drive-through restaurants do result in additional litter, this is not strictly a planning consideration. However, it is understood that both operators employ litter-pickers."