England’s last county without a McDonald’s is set to decide on a plan for a new 24-hour drive-through restaurant this week, in the face of staunch opposition from some locals who fear that it will ruin their area’s unique charm.

The historic county of Rutland is England’s smallest. It is the only one with no permanent speed traps, it is the site of the country’s largest reservoir, and it has a castle that’s no bigger than many church halls. And it is the last county in England with no McDonald’s, Burger King, or KFC – yet.

That could be about to change, with councillors set to decide on Tuesday on an application for a new McDonald’s. Planning officers have already recommended that councillors approve the application, advising that the development will “not have an adverse impact on … the character of the surrounding area”.

But it is a move that has divided opinion in Oakham, the well-to-do county town of Rutland, on the edge of which the restaurant is due to be built. A planning consultation has so far had 78 responses, with 55 against.

Residents opposing the plan online cite fears of an increase in litter, a negative impact on the pubs and restaurants in the town, and even that the new drive-through will cause a drop in house prices. But residents who spoke to the Guardian on the streets of Oakham were more evenly split, with many speaking up for the plan.

Oakham is a picturesque town of stone and brick that already hosts a large number of cafes and restaurants. Most were doing a steady trade and seemed prosperous, but prices were not cheap. And that’s a problem for some.

“People can’t afford to take children out in the town,” said Karen Wilkinson, 63, who was out drinking coffee in Hungry Birds, one of Oakham’s many coffee shops. Her son, a father of five, has got nowhere he can afford to take his kids, she said. “He can’t afford to eat in Rutland, all the restaurants are really expensive.”

Sitting with her, Ann Dowling, 45, said she hoped the new McDonald’s would offer somewhere for her teenage children to go. Oakham is lacking in facilities for young people, she said. She hoped the prospect of a McDonald’s breakfast would tempt her children out of bed before 11am.

But just feet away, at another table, Jill Tittensor, 54, said she felt the arrival of the fast-food chain would detract from the town’s unique charm. “I think it will go ahead,” she said, “but I do think not having one helps to put Rutland on the map.”

Opposition is not neatly split along age lines. Charlie Pallett, 25, who writes about the county as the Rutland Blogger, is also against the new restaurant. “I think it’s a really cool thing that we don’t have one and I wish we could keep Rutland the way it is,” she said. “My point is that we don’t actually need it, we’ve got some great restaurant businesses.”

McDonald’s is a symbol of change in Rutland, which has seen an influx of newcomers in the past few years. Demographically, the county has for decades skewed older and wealthier, with many of the younger residents connected to two boarding schools. But new housing developments in the north-west of the town, close to a bypass, house younger families and commuters travelling to nearby Leicester and Nottingham, and even as far as London.

Along with the new residents have come new amenities. Lidl and Aldi, Wetherspoon’s and a Domino’s pizza franchise are all recent additions, the arrivals of which initially put noses in the town out of joint, locals say.

James Bladon, 30, a veterinary officer who works at a nearby army barracks, lives close to the site where the McDonald’s is due to be built, in a house that is just two years old. “I imagine the older population are more resistant, because they like their old Rutland,” Bladon said. “But I think with places like this [new housing development] coming up, it’s bringing younger families to the area. They need somewhere to go.”