MCDONALD’S have quashed rumours that they are about to open a new restaurant on the edge of a Wye Valley town, after the rumour mill went into overdrive.

A local newspaper and social media posts said the fast food giant was planning to open up at the former Traveller’s Rest site in Ross-on-Wye, last occupied by Beefeater, and currently surrounded by security fencing.

But an advert recruiting staff was actually for New Ross in Ireland, with the salaries on offer listed in euros, and not in Ross-on-Wye, where a Burger King already exists on the other side of the A449.

And a McDonald’s spokesperson has now confirmed the Indeed recruitment ad refers to a vacancy with the firm’s recently opened branch in County Wexford.

The Premier Inn that shares the A449/ M50 junction 1 site with the shut-down Beefeater has submitted a planning application to add a two-storey, 20-room expansion to the rear of the former eaterie.

And while the Traveller’s Rest site would not need planning permission for the burger giant to start trading, as the building is already classified as a restaurant, it would still need permission for its signage as per advertising consent.

It would also need permission to install an exterior cooking extraction and air conditioning, as both of these systems were removed following the departure of the Beefeater chain.

Previously, McDonald’s sought planning permission for the site close to the A40/A449 roundabout – the same site Lidl is currently investigating – but this was refused by Herefordshire Council in 2023.

There were also plans over 10 years ago for a Macdonald’s on the vacant land between the A40 Dixton roundabout and Monmouth Comprehensive School playing fields, but it ran out of steam after running into significant local opposition.

And further downplaying the rumours of one coming imminently to Ross, a Herefordshire Council spokesperson said there was no planning application pending behind the scenes to back the claims up about a new McDonald’s.