No support for servo

A proposal to develop a service station at the entrance to Warragul’s Waterford Rise residential estate will not be supported by Baw Baw Shire.

The matter will be presented to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in October. Councillors have instructed shire officers to oppose the application.

Council unanimously rejected the proposal, saying service station developers needed to ensure such developments were in the right location before presenting them to council.

Cr Jessica O’Donnell said planning staff could advise developers on appropriate locations. “Find somewhere appropriate, stop trying to put it somewhere that it doesn’t belong,” she said.

More than 30 letters of objection and a joint submission signed by 70 residents in the estate objected to the proposed service station.

Developers have sought planning permission to develop a service station at the entrance to the estate off Princes Way. The service station would be opposite the child care centre on Crole Drv.

It is proposed the service station will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The development includes four fuel bowsers, office and service station kiosk, storage area, counter and enclosed bin storage.

The applicant lodged an appeal against council’s failure to determine the application within the prescribed time. The matter will be now dealt with by VCAT.

Objectors raised concerns about traffic management and parking; impact on neighbourhood character; noise and odour, impacts on stormwater and drainage, property devaluation and the need for another service station in the area.

Planners advised council the application was inconsistent with state and local planning policies.

“The site has a prominent interface with Princes Way and the entrance into the Waterford Rise Estate and will result in a built form which is not in keeping with the development within the surrounding area,” officers said.

Moving council not support the development, Cr Peter Kostos said he had a passion for service stations and where they should and shouldn’t be. “When people bought their land (in Waterford Rise), they did it with an expectation of a convenience store. I can understand why residents aren’t happy.

“We are over supplied by service stations. If we can’t drive more than one or two kilometres it’s a very sad state of affairs,” he said.

Cr Danny Goss said council did not want little shopping precincts popping up everywhere and if they were, they should be of net benefit to the community.

“The shop probably does help the idea that it could work but the dominant purpose is for the service station. I have a problem with the roundabout on Princes Way and a turning lane into the service station,” he said.

Cr Mikaela Power said the safety for traffic coming off Crole Drive was not great, without adding a service station.

“The benefits of being able to buy milk and bread are far outweighed by the noise and smell of a petrol station at the entrance to their estate. It is a community there now and the environment is important to the people that live there,” she said.

Cr Michael Leaney said it was a bad design. He said these types of developments were just a stock standard service station and put in locations without any regard to the surrounding environment.

“I am surprised how many service station developments have come before us which surprises me because I think they are something that are old school,” he said.

Cr Darren Wallace said it was a shame council did not have the opportunity to deal with this matter in the chamber. “Now we are on the back foot” at VCAT, he said.

He said the fuel pumps would be located 70 metres from the front door of the child care centre.

“Do we really want people coming into the region and seeing service stations left, right and centre,” he said.