Jamie Saxe has written a terrific letter which would be a great thing for everyone to modify slightly (in your own words is better) and send to McDonalds CEO Catriona Noble.

Source: Facebook (used with permission)

Here it is;

Ms Catriona Noble
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
McDonald’s Australia
Head Office
21-29 Central Avenue
THORNLEIGH NSW 2120

Dear Catriona,

I am sure you are aware of the current community campaign to stop the building of a McDonalds store in Tecoma Victoria. The community are furious that the VCAT decision has gone in favour of the development despite a huge community movement who are against this happening.

We have presented clear arguments that the proposal does not meet the Shire of Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme. Council unanimously refused the application.

There were strong practical grounds that argued against the development including issues regarding traffic, rubbish, impact on the elderly residents nearby, noise and not mention it being built in front of a school.

Tecoma is a small village that is the gateway to the Dandenong Ranges, a place where people escape the city to experience the National Park, rain forests, clean air and visit tea rooms, galleries and small cafes. The entire aesthetic of the region is based on being different from the rest of the suburbs and on this quiet mountain setting.

The first thing people want to see when they come up here is mountains and tree ferns and not a large fast food chain.

You are aware, I am sure, of the contemporary power of social media. Our current campaign is gaining huge support from all quarters and this will have an impact on your corporate reputation. The local community who are against your development are not a few left wing hippies complaining about your product. They are families, doctors, lawyers, musicains, professionals and lots of children. Many of them are people who actually frequent your stores and eat your food but they do not want your store here in Tecoma. Many of them are now going to boycott eating your food at any of your stores. We are not talking about a few hundred people, we are talking about thousands of people. With the aid of social media this is spreading beyond our community also. I can site many examples of a large backlash of other communities who are now supporting our cause and are ready to stop consuming your product.

This decision has also made a lot of people lose a faith in the democratic system and how development decisions are made. They see a local council’s and community’s wishes for their home and environment totally overlooked. In the broader sense, people are angry and disillusioned with the whole process and this is going to reflect very badly on your company for pushing this forward.

If your store manages to get built. It will be boycotted by many. There will be protests by many. A tireless campaign against this store will prevail I can assure you

We are a determined, passionate community and we will continue to campaign against this application for as long as it takes.

I urge you, as a corporation who claims to care about community, to not build this store. Corporations do need to realize that there is a current, ground roots swell of people who no longer wish to have their lives governed by the power of the dollar and they will fight to keep the place that they love as it is, a quiet village nestled into the forests of the Dandenongs.

Yours Sincerely