Do we require another servo?

NEW businesses are always welcome in Cairns but is another service station justified?

A developer has lodged plans with Cairns Regional Council for a service station including a fast food outlet at Manoora.

The Stateland proposal is on Pease St between Hoare St and Reservoir Rd and will require the demolition of an existing retail store, three houses and a duplex.

The service station would have eight fuel bowsers.

The area is already well served by similar operations.

There is the longstanding Shell operation diagonally opposite, a BP service station about 400m south and a Woolworths Caltex outlet at the Raintrees Shopping Centre.

Around the corner is another Caltex in Reservoir Rd.

Cairns is awash with service stations with something like 40 between Palm Cove and Edmonton.

No doubt the developers have done their research and due diligence but is there a reason for another in proximity to existing businesses?

The Manoora suburb is not expanding as it is now well established and there is little room for development.

However, the proposal has been designed to catch customers travelling on the McCoombe St-Pease St “bypass” north and also those coming from the city on Hoare St.

Cleverly the developers are hedging their bets on a proposed ring road which would incorporate McCoombe St-Pease St into Reservoir Rd to take traffic south from Earlville via Manoora and through to Smithfield.

It’s a cunning strategic ploy but one problem will be ensuring traffic flow is not impeded by motorists driving into and out of the property. Nick Dalton Deputy editor