MORE than 800 parents have registered their protest at plans for a McDonald's restaurant on the outskirts of Abergavenny.

Monmouthshire County Council refused planning permission for an 85-seater McDonald's restaurant and drive-through near the Hardwick roundabout earlier this year.

Planners said the scheme - set for part of Brandons turkey factory car park - would cause a danger to children tempted to cross the busy A465 Heads of the Valleys road by foot or on bikes.

The burger giant appealed against the decision to the National Assembly - and its case will be heard at a public inquiry next Wednesday and Thursday.

Concerned mothers Kim Coldbrook and Alison Briggs from the Ysbytty Fields Estate, near the proposed site, organised one of the petitions against the location of the site.

Abergavenny accountant Alison Briggs said she was afraid for the safety of her nine year-old son.

She told the Argus: "Building a McDonald's next to a dangerous road is just asking for trouble.

"Children like McDonald's and the only way for my son and a group of his friends to get there, would be to cross the very fast and dangerous Heads of the Valley Road."

She added: "If one child is killed then it's one child too many. There are enough accidents on roads without putting temptation in the way to increase the likelihood of more." The petitions were handed to local councillor Chris Woodhouse, who has organised three public meetings ahead of the appeal hearing.

The last meeting takes place at Abergavenny town hall, on Monday at 7.30pm and Coun-cillor Woodhouse, who is opposed to the proposed dev-elopment, believes there is a good case for the appeal to be quashed.

He said: "The real issue of children's safety must not be overshadowed by a giant company like McDonald's."

He added: "We would welcome McDonald's in Aber-gavenny town centre as it would be fair trade and good for Abergavenny, but it's a matter of putting it in a realistic place, not just somewhere that suits themselves."

He urged the people of Abergavenny to make their feelings known by attending the meeting or risk losing trade in the town. He said: "I would ask as many people as possible to stand up and be counted against these plans, otherwise this multi-national giant will take trade away from the town."