McDonald's Makes Another Attempt to Get 24 Hour Opening

Burger chain wants permission for deliveries and instore serve all day

McDonalds on Brentford High Street

September 18, 2026

Brentford’s McDonald’s is making a fresh bid to operate around the clock. The application, submitted by Savills on behalf of McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, seeks to vary the conditions attached to the 2023 appeal decision that currently restricts opening to between 5am and midnight, and limits deliveries to daytime hours. Under the proposal, the in-store restaurant and outgoing delivery services would run continuously, while the drive-thru would retain its existing midnight closing time.

The application is supported by a pair of detailed acoustic studies that argue the restaurant can trade 24 hours a day without causing dist nearby residents.

The submission is built around two linked Noise Impact Assessments prepared by Sustainable Acoustics, the first based on attended and unattended surveys carried out over several nights in November 2025, and the second commissioned after pre-application discussions with Hounslow Council raised concerns about plant noise. The studies paint a picture of a site already dominated by road traffic from the A315 and B455, with additional contributions from air traffic and commercial plant in the wider area. As the original assessment puts it, “local traffic noise is the primary contributor to the noise climate around the site, together with frequent air traffic events, and some plant noise audible during lulls.”

The first assessment concludes that noise from people, vehicles and the customer order display system would fall within the “No Observable Adverse Effect Level” during the proposed overnight hours. Pedestrian activity was found to be modest and largely unrelated to the restaurant, and vehicle movements—whether drive-thru, car park or delivery drivers—did not stand out against the prevailing traffic noise. The report notes that “no significantly disruptive, deliberate, or aggressive antisocial behaviour was observed,” and that customer activity during the current opening hours is short-lived and unlikely to translate into significant disturbance if extended overnight.

The only element identified as potentially problematic was roof-mounted plant. During attended surveys, plant noise was audible at all positions and clearly perceptible during quiet periods. Without mitigation, the original assessment judged this source capable of producing a “significant observable adverse effect” at the nearest homes. The supplementary study therefore modelled each plant item individually and tested a suite of mitigation measures, including attenuators, ductwork upgrades and the replacement of certain fans with quieter units. With these measures in place, Sustainable Acoustics predicts that plant noise at the closest residential façade would fall to around 36dB—approximately 5dB below the measured background level. Internally, once typical window attenuation is applied, this equates to 23–26dB, within recommended overnight limits and “not likely to be discernible by occupants.”

Savills emphasises that the mitigation would improve the acoustic environment for residents at all hours, not only during the proposed overnight period. It also argues that late-night customers are typically taxis, shift workers, delivery riders and emergency service crews, and that the restaurant has no history of complaints relating to antisocial behaviour or delivery driver disturbance. The company intends to continue operating its Premises Noise Management Plan, which includes protocols for monitoring customer behaviour and addressing any issues promptly.

The submission also highlights economic benefits: additional jobs, increased working hours for existing staff, and greater flexibility to meet customer demand.

The application now sits with Hounslow Council for determination. If approved, it would mark the latest step in a long-running sequence of applications to extend the restaurant’s hours, stretching back to the original 1996 permission and including the 2023 appeal that set the current midnight closing time.

To make a comment visit the planning section of the Hounslow Council web site and search using reference: P/2026/2599.