Permit required for ambulance station
Baw Baw Shire says construction of a new ambulance branch in Burke St, Warragul, would require approval under its planning scheme.
Director of planning and development Matthew Cripps said the site on the north side of Burke St and almost opposite the entrance to Marist Sion College is located in the general residential zone, schedule 1 (GRZ1).
He said an ambulance station would be classified as an “emergency services facility” and, as such, a planning permit was necessary but no application had yet been lodged with council.
Mr Cripps also said that under the general residential zone public notification was expected for an application for that type of use.
Signage was erected on the block by the Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority about two months ago stating that “your new Warragul ambulance branch is coming soon”.
The proposal has created a backlash from a number of people concerned about safety, the effect traffic in Burke St that is particularly heavy around school start and finish times could have on ambulance response times and access by ambulances to calls from the northern side of the railway line.
Marist Sion College, Warragul Regional College, St Joseph’s Primary School, Warragul and District Specialist School and the Good Start Early Learning Centre, all located in Burke St, have total enrolments exceeding 2300.
Other major premises located in the street include the Warragul Bus Lines’ depot and Warragul Leisure Centre and a new commercial precinct is due to open soon at the corner of Burke and Howitt Sts.
Ambulance Victoria’s Gippsland regional director Simon Jemmett said the new ambulance station, additional to the current base in Queen St, would provide an extra ambulance and seven full-time paramedics that would staff it seven days a week between 9am and 9pm.
He said the location was selected following Ambulance Victoria’s approved development process.
“The search zone was modelled using existing and expected case load data and local council advice on existing conditions and proposed development included in its Precinct Structure Plan for Warragul”.
Mr Jemmett said concerns about potential delays in responding to cases north of Burke St (and the railway line) will not eventuate because most of those would be attended to from the existing Warragul branch.
“Burke St provides excellent access to the majority of the population in that area and is currently used regularly when responding to cases”.
In addition to two-way traffic lanes Burke St has space for cars to move left and allow emergency vehicles past even when there is traffic congestion, Mr Jemmett added.