WE DID IT!
Housewife triumphs in servo fight
Housewife wins David versus Goliath battle to stop fuel giant building service station next to their Mermaid Beach home
A GOLD Coast housewife has won a David and Goliath battle against fuel behemoth United Petroleum, thwarting the company’s bid to build a 24-hour service station next door to her family’s beloved beach shack.
Edwina Roberts tearfully celebrated the end of her three-year battle to stop the fuel giant setting up in her residential Mermaid Beach street, saying it had been a “long and stressful” process.
“I’m just so shocked and relieved for the community and for our family because I really had no idea which way this was going to go,” Mrs Roberts said yesterday.
“I would encourage anyone who believes in what they’re fighting for to continue to do it.
“It’s so important to fight for what you believe in.”
Mrs Roberts and her neighbours successfully campaigned for the Gold Coast City Council to reject the petrol company’s application for a change of use for the medium-density residential land in 2016.
But the mum-of-two was dragged into a courtroom showdown along with the council after United appealed the decision in the Planning and Environment Court.
After a five-day hearing last year, Judge Michael Rackemann yesterday dismissed the appeal taking into account planning schemes and the impact of the development on nearby residents.
Mrs Roberts’ beach shack has been in her family for almost 60 years and she said she would have been devastated if the service station had been allowed next door.
“We all know what it smells like to stand near a petrol station, so with those pumps only a few metres from my home it was not going to be practical,” she said. “My main concerns were the health risks and then … the lighting and noise, the smell, contamination, traffic and crime.”
Mrs Roberts said she couldn’t wait to celebrate with her neighbours.
“I’ll be emailing the residents and making phone calls so they can all finally rest easy,” she said.
“I couldn’t have done it without the Gold Coast council … I made it this far because they understood the impact on residents.”