By Jeremy Sollars
Southern Downs Regional Council is assessing a proposal for a second new service station development in Warwick, this one on vacant land on Alexandra Drive on the northern approach into town.
As reported yesterday councillors will vote on a new 24/7 servo proposed for the current site of the St Mary’s Tennis Pavilion and squash courts at the corner of Wood and Guy Streets, at their May monthly meeting tomorrow, Wednesday 27 May.
A separate proposal for another servo – with a coffee shop and ‘showroom’ facilities’ – is currently with the council for the site next to Eastside Hire and diagonally opposite Cassels Automotive on the highway into Warwick from the north.
The prime highway site is owned by Ampol and was previously a service station but has sat vacant for some years.
The proposal has not yet been before councillors and is currently referred to state departments for review, with the council’s planning officers awaiting responses.
Application documents state the project would be developed in two stages, with stage 1 being the service station itself and a “food and drink outlet (coffee shop with kids playground)” and stage 2 a “bulky goods showroom and workshop…likely related to automotive products”.
“The service station is the primary component of the development and will feature a contemporary service station with approximately 8 fuel bowsers for standard vehicles and 2 truck fueling stations,” the application states.
“The associated retail shop will have a floor area of 200m².
“The layout includes two access locations – the southern access will allow for trucks to enter and to move safely around the outside of the centre, trucks will exit via the northern egress only.
“Cars will be able to enter/exit from either of the two accesses.
“A total of 40 parking spaces will be provided, along with 1 Articulated Vehicle (AV) space and 1 Small Rigid Vehicle (SRV) space.
“Parking will be conveniently located immediately adjacent to the proposed buildings, with surplus spaces provided along the frontage.”
The application is classed as a ‘material change of use’ so would require a vote of councillors to proceed but no timeframe is yet available.
In other service station news the re-vamped United servo at the corner of Wallace and Cleary Streets on Warwick’s southern side is expected to open within the next week.
MIXED VIEWS…
Free Times readers commenting on Facebook expressed mixed opinions on the servo proposed for the corner of Wood and Guy Streets, which council officers have recommended for approval at tomorrow’s council meeting.
Some believe its approval would be a positive given the current neglected state of the tennis courts and squash courts/pavilion, others feel traffic access could be problematic given proximity to the busy intersection and some would prefer the site remain as a sport facility.
The site is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba.
Here’s yesterday’s story if you haven’t seen it…
Tomorrow’s council meeting will be live-streamed on the council’s Facebook page from 9am…
