The golden arches of McDonald's will be coming to the gateway to Pembrokeshire next month, as the company announces it is soon opening its St Clears restaurant and advertises jobs.

A spokesman for the company confirmed: “We’re currently scheduled for an opening towards the end of January.”

McDonald's is currently advertising for full and part time positions including front of house, maintenance and delivery, overnight and daytime crew members. 

The company is holding an open recruitment day for the St Clears team on Thursday, December 9, from 11am-7pm, in the Carmarthen McDonald's. Potential new recruits don’t need for an appointment and can just walk in any time.

Plans to open the new 24-hour, 100-seater McDonald’s – together with a Costa Coffee – on land north of the A40 roundabout were besieged by controversy.

The plans, submitted by Draycott Investments and Developments, were initially turned down by Carmarthenshire County Council’s planning committee in September 2019. 

Following a planning appeal, the company had its wish granted to gain a foothold at a prime location on the outskirts of St Clears, when the initial refusal was overturned by a planning inspector. 

The drive-through development has the potential to create more than 80 jobs.

Around 270 objections were made to the council about the original application, with opposers outnumbering supporters by ten to one.

Despite a recommendation for approval, the committee refused it on the grounds the land was outside the county council’s Local Development Plan boundaries.

But the planning inspector's report said this was ‘negated by the proposal's clear locational requirements linked to the strategic road network’.

The proposal also includes the installation of an access road, associated car park, public areas, extraction equipment and wider associated works.

The applicants previously stated that the McDonald's would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while the Costa, with seating for up to 70 customers, would have opening hours of 5.30am to 10.30pm.