A new Burger King drive-thru has been given planning permission despite concerns over road safety.
The food outlet can be be built at Kirkstall Retail Park after a council plans panel reversed an earlier decision to refuse it.
NewRiver Retail sought permission for the scheme, saying it would create jobs and bring a disused site near Savins Mill Way back into use.
But fears were raised that it would worsen road safety problems on a busy nearby junction.
Leeds City Council’s South and West plans panel voted to reject the application at a meeting on 5 September.
Councillors have since been told the applicant was likely to appeal and lodge a claim against the local authority for costs.
A panel meeting on Thursday heard council officers were satisfied the impact on traffic was not sufficient to turn the application down.
Panel member and Armley Labour councillor Andy Parnham said he was still concerned about road safety.
He said: “I feel almost like I’m being gas-lit and rail-roaded into making a decision that I’m not prepared to make.
“I just find this baffling. It’s a conduit between three very busy areas of the city.”
NewRiver Retail agreed to contribute £72,000 for nearby road safety works if permission was granted.
The cash would pay for signal and traffic camera improvements near the site.
Council officers warned that if there was a successful appeal, the scheme could go ahead without the financial contribution.
The panel was given the option of going ahead with refusal on road safety grounds.
A majority instead voted to defer and delegate the application for a approval by the council’s chief planning officer.
