The decision on the planning application for McDonald's to move into Midsomer Norton was expected by now.

However the date for a yes or no has changed on the B&NES planning portal, who will be making the decision, and is now expected on February 16.

Meantime the company has now put in special survey on how the noise of a site, in the former Argos building just off the High Street in Midsomer Norton, could be reduced.

The fast food company has already listed a litter management plan and how traffic could be managed.

Now (under application 23/03656/FUL) there are the results of a sound survey undertaken to the rear of the building which has been empty since Argos moved its business into the Sainsbury's supermarket in 2020.

That states: " An environmental sound survey has been carried out at the rear, in the car park close to Bunthornes Cottage which overlooks the rear of the building, over a 24-hour period and this has revealed that during the day the background sound level hovers around 40 dB LA90 from 5am through to the evening when it starts to decline, from 8pm drops as low as 35 dB LA90, by 11pm reducing to 30 dB LA90 across the small hours of the night. "

In other words, it is quiet.

It then goes onto detail how noise from the fast food joint could be kept down, with examples such as fitting silencers in the kitchens including for the drinks machinery.

The report concludes that : " With these mitigation measures in place noise from the plant, when assessed using the guidance set out in BS4142, predicts it will have a "low to less than adverse impact" upon local amenity, meeting the requirements of the Local Authority. "