By Chris Thomson | posted on November 9, 2017
THE City of Albany has not appealed the approval of a contentious fuel station at a roundabout named Western Australia’s worst because it does not consider action in the Supreme Court to be in the public interest.
A building permit is yet to be submitted for the site on the corner of Albany Highway and Chester Pass Road in Orana.
But a demolition permit was issued in January, and the site’s former buildings have since been razed.
Paul Camins, the city’s development services executive director, confirmed “ongoing hearings of a procedural nature” were continuing between the city and project applicant in the State Administrative Tribunal about implementation of approved planning conditions.
“The city did not consider that it was in the public interest to appeal to the Supreme Court, given the expense and risk associated,” Mr Camins said.
The Weekender can reveal the service station will be a Shell/Coles Express branded outlet, as pictured (page 2).
The project will include six bowsers and a lunch bar with an al fresco area.
The roundabout was named the worst in the state in the RAC’s 2016/2017 Risky Roads report, which presented results of a statewide survey of RAC members.
The service station was approved in August when tribunal member Rosetta Petrucci overturned the city’s refusal.
Ahead of the council’s earlier rejection of the fuel station in March, Councillor Alison Goode asked her colleagues to reject the plans due to a “possible risk to human health or safety”.
Cr Goode argued the plans’ access and egress arrangements were inadequate.
“In relation to traffic flow and safety of motorists exiting the development, it would be very difficult to put in place controls whereby vehicles exiting … could only exit on to the left lane of Albany Highway and thereby not be able to exit the roundabout at Albany Highway south, Hanrahan Road or Albany Highway north,” she stressed.
At the recommendation of Main Roads WA, which had earlier opposed the plans, Ms Petrucci ordered that an extra left-turn lane be built at the service station’s entrance on Albany Highway.
The exit on to Albany Highway will be about five car lengths from the roundabout’s entrance.
TRG Retail Design & Construction Management lodged the plans on behalf of Procon Developments.
IMAGE: The fuel station planned for the Albany Highway entry to the city’s largest roundabout. Source: Development application lodged by TRG Retail Design & Construction Management.