THE public are not lovin' a proposal to site a McDonald's at the gateway to Pembrokeshire.

The fast food giant and Costa Coffee have been named in a planning application for land on the outskirts of St Clears.

The development on land north of the A40 roundabout, close to the old Tenby road leading into the town centre, could create more than 80 jobs, developers Draycott Developments and Investments have said in a statement.

But since the proposal was publicised, a flood of objections have been lodged with the planning authority, Carmarthenshire County Council.

One objector has called it "a damaging development for St Clears", while others have raised concerns that another fast food restaurant would only add fuel to the obesity crisis.

McDonalds currently has an appeal on its website for potential sites for 400 new drive-through restaurants.

The St Clears site could also house a pub in the future, said the applicants.

In their statement, the company said: "The vision of the proposal is to provide more than 80 jobs with McDonald's and Costa to support the local community and economy.

"The proposed McDonald's restaurant is expected to employ a minimum of 65 full and part-time staff.

"With the exception of the management team, almost all of these will be recruited from the local community."

It added: "The proposed Costa is expected to employ a further 18 full and part-time jobs, with flexible shifts.

"This totals 11 equivalent full-time jobs "There is also potential for additional local jobs with the wider development of the pub site in future."

The planning application states that a new junction will be created off the A4066 to serve the site, which would have parking for up to 100 cars, together with cycle racks.

The plans will be discussed by Carmarthenshire County Council's planning committee in the near future.