By ANNA USHER

Ten months after it scrapped plans to open in Crows Nest, Maccas is back – and this time there’s nothing the community can do to stop it.

The fast food giant has submitted a Complying Development Certificate (CDC) to North Sydney Council, revealing a new restaurant will open on the corner of Willoughby Rd and Burlington St, the site of the old Westpac building.

A CDC is a fast-tracked approval pathway approved by a private certifier that bypasses local council assessment and community consultation.

The store will trade from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 8pm on Sundays and public holidays.

Plans show a two-storey fit-out, with the ground floor dedicated entirely to the restaurant. Staff spaces and the plant room will be on the upper level.

Architectural drawings show booths, long communal tables and a row of stools along the Burlington St window. The exact number of seats is left to McDonald’s interior designer. The original D.A had 20.

Customers will order at self-service kiosks or the front counter. There is a coffee island, no drive-thru and no car parking.

The plans show no public toilets.

The only bathrooms in the building are a men’s and a women’s on the first floor, tucked inside the staff area and reached through the back of house. At 1.6 and 2.37 square metres, they are for crew, not customers.

The store locals thought they’d killed.

McDonald’s first went after the site in May 2025, with plans for a 24/7 restaurant.
Mosman Collective revealed the bid. The backlash was instant.

Nearly 700 people signed a petition. Close to 70 lodged formal objections with North Sydney Council.

McDonald’s withdrew the application on 26 August 2025, a week before it was due to be considered by the council’s independent planning panel.

“The applicant has chosen to withdraw,” Council confirmed at the time, “the matter is now closed.”

Until now.

“We are excited to be joining the Crows Nest community. A new Macca’s in Crows Nest represents an investment of more than $5 million and will create around 100 jobs during construction and once operational,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told Mosman Collective.

“The new restaurant will be operated by a local Licensee who is committed to playing an active role in the local community by providing employment, training and development opportunities, and supporting local causes and groups that matter to our customers and crew.”

Maccas Crows Nest is set to open before the end of the year, the spokesperson said.