McDonalds famous 'golden arches' could soon be shining over Hexham's bunker site after developers applied for advertisement consent from Northumberland County Council.

Work is under way to create 250 car parking spaces at the site, just off Alemouth Road, which will stand alongside a 69-bedroom Travelodge hotel and Lidl store.

A planning application was submitted on behalf of McDonald’s last October for the fast food chain to be included as part of the development.

And in February, the restaurant broke its silence and confirmed its plans to open an outlet in Hexham.

At the time, a spokeswoman for the world renowned eatery said: “We are working in conjunction with the developer to progress the planning application and we are working through design aspects so it can progress to the committee.

“We are hopeful that the application will be approved to bring local jobs to the area.”

Union Property Development Ltd purchased the 5.5 acre site in October 2018.

The site had stood abandoned since its days as a nuclear bunker in the 1980s.

Plans submitted by the developer for signage include a monolith sign, with the fast food chain’s famous golden arches at the top, above the logos for Travelodge and Lidl.

Other site signage will include three large billboards, two small billboards, two canopy signs, one freestanding double sided parking sign, and one freestanding poster display unit. Peter Carruthers, consultant project director at Union Property Services Ltd, said work was on track for the site to be completed by April 2022.

He added they had not yet clarified what will be the name of the retail site.

The reference number for the advertisement consent application is 21/01866/ADE.