A CHUNK of land belonging to Salisbury City Council will benefit from ecological works worth thousands of pounds - if planning permission is granted for a McDonald’s drive-through and a hotel in Southampton Road.

Wiltshire Council is set to receive £50,000 to spend on ecological works on land near Lime Kiln Way, Harnham, after the developer, Mango Planning, offered to contribute funding as part of a provisional Section 106 agreement.

Part of the land is owned by Wiltshire Council while another part belongs to the city council with the money to go towards improving the wildlife reserve area there.

While Wiltshire Council refused to give planning permission for the controversial project, citing traffic fears and poor design, the developer appealed the decision.

Earlier this month, a planning inquiry took place to decide the proposal with a decision expected soon.

The provisional agreement authorises Wiltshire Council to carry out ecological mitigation works on its own land but also on the city council’s land if so wished.

The work is set to include scrub clearance, a reptile and badger survey, a site management plan and contribution to ongoing annual management for 25 years.

On Monday, the city council planning and transportation committee voted in favour of accepting the work.

Councillor Margaret Wilmot said: “I’m not in favour of the development proposal and I don’t think anyone around this table is but if this is going to get the go-ahead then this is the opportunity to benefit. These natural sites might look wild and beautiful and they are but they need to be correctly managed.”

Developers want to build the Premier Inn and drivethrough McDonald’s between Tesco Extra and the A36.

* On Monday, city councillors voted to support restoration plans at Quidhampton Quarry. The plans involve using recycled aggregate to raise the quarry floor and create a grassland slope as well as a ‘development platform’ capable of future redevelopment for employment uses. A consultation ends on August 11.