A new McDonald's is to be built at the Copdock Interchange on the outskirts of Ipswich after planners green lit the project.

The fast food chain's planning application for a new restaurant to the east of the Tesco Extra supermarket off the A1214 was decided by Babergh District Council on Monday.

It means a total of 65 full- and part-time jobs are set to created as McDonald's prepares to open its sixth restaurant in Ipswich.

The application, for the main restaurant, 43 car parking spaces, drive-through facilities and children's play area, was submitted to Babergh council in March.

Ipswich Borough Council and Sproughton Parish Council both considered McDonald's proposals, but neither raised any objections to the scheme.

Planning documents submitted with the application revealed Tesco had completed an audit of its car park and determined it did not need that area for its customers - freeing up space for the new burger eatery.

The documents added: "The design of the new building is purposely modern, bringing a new design feature to the wider retail park whilst respecting its overall design approach.

"The proposal is intended to complement the existing retail uses and provide additional choice to existing customers of the wider retail offering and passing road users.

"The design and layout of the proposal is appropriate in the area. Natural and neutral colours and materials will be used on the building and throughout the scheme to ensure the site integrates easily with the surroundings.

"The site represents an appropriate location for a drive-thru restaurant, which will be well placed to offer additional choice of refreshments to passing customers and those in the surrounding area."

Rival restaurants and fast food chains can already be found off the Copdock Interchange, including Burger King, Pizza Hut, Costa Coffee and Tesco's in-store café.

The financial impact the creation of a new fast food chain would have on other nearby businesses was not considered by the planners when delivering their decision.

Burger King, a direct rival to McDonald's, has been running a restaurant near the Copdock Interchange since the 1990s and is one of the firm's most-established sites in Ipswich.