Redland City Council today voted to refuse a development application for a service station on Government Road.
Divisional Councillor Mark Edwards said today’s decision was a win for nearby residents who had voiced their concern about the potential impact of the proposed 24-hour service station.
“Residents in surrounding streets told us they were worried the service station would impact on the residential area and Council has listened and today refused the application,” he said.
“I have spent a great deal of time speaking with residents over the past couple of months and listening to their concerns and today shows Council’s commitment to responding to the community’s needs.
“There were 22 individual submissions and two petitions with a total of 334 signatures in response to the development application, with the main concerns raised including noise and amenity from the service station operating 24/7, as well as traffic impacts.
“While Council’s decision was ultimately made based on the necessary planning regulations, we also took into consideration the feedback from residents.”
Cr Edwards said while Council’s assessment of the application showed another service station may be needed in Redland Bay in the future, the proposed location was considered not suitable due to the potential impact on nearby residents.
“There’s no doubt we need more service stations in Redland Bay, but they need to be in locations that don’t impact residents,” he said.
“The proposed location of this service station would not only have impacted the area’s amenity due to noise, it would also have potentially pushed traffic into surrounding residential streets, resulting in safety concerns for residents.
Council planning and development spokesperson and neighbouring Division 6 Councillor Julie Talty attended a number of public meetings with Cr Edwards in the lead-up to today’s decision and congratulated residents for their proactive approach to the proposal.
“I am pleased to see the concerns raised by residents are reflected by Council’s decision today,” she said.