A RESIDENT has accused Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company of hypocrisy after they gained opinions from students at Mill Chase Academy and seemingly brushed them aside.

It came during a ‘special interest meeting’, hosted by Whitehill Town Council on Thursday evening (November 7), where the public were invited to receive an update from the regeneration company and ask questions about the development scheme.

As part of his presentation, project lead James Child spoke about the importance of youth engagement, with the hope of eventually launching a youth council.

But, this was later raised by Lee McDonald who said: “You (Mr Child) talked in your presentation quite heavily about youth engagement and a youth council.

“Yet on the flip side of that, you said 87 per cent of kids wanted a McDonald’s or KFC and you dispelled them straight away.”

He continued that all those young people who want it will have been “asking their parents to go to McDonald’s”, the nearest of which is in Petersfield, and so “adding to the eco problem”.

In response, town councillor Bisi Kennard, who is also the council’s youth representative and a secondary school teacher, said “engaging with youth isn’t the same as giving them what they want”, and to “not assume they’re dismissing the youth opinion simply because they’re not going to provide a McDonald’s”.

“I think when we’re having conversations around fast food it’s about conversation and education and providing options,” she said.

Cllr Tree confirmed there is “lots of different opinion” surrounding McDonald’s or KFC but said his view is the decision should “come to the community”.

He continued: “It shouldn’t be for any unelected body to say ‘no, sorry it’s a healthy town, you can’t have McDonald’s’.”

Cllr Tree said the young people at Mill Chase, now Oakmoor School, “think their views are not heard and not understood”.

But, Mr Child said they are trying to “offer a range of food alternatives”, with “approximately ten or more outlets for food and bevarage” in the new town centre.

Not everyone at the meeting was supportive of the youngsters’ call for fast food chains, with Stephen Miles urging the regeneration company to “resist” this.

“Those who live near takeaway shops in Whitehill already suffer because of the whole community who just drop their food wrappers where they last ate them,” he said.

“It’s a disgrace. They shouldn’t take away and drop.”

*What do you think about having a McDonald’s or KFC in the town? Let us know by emailing [email protected]