Fed up residents have taken to the streets of an inner-Brisbane suburb over a service station proposed on major thoroughfare.
Locals fear a 7/11 service station in East Brisbane proposed in a flood zone could leak hazardous chemicals into Norman Creek during heavy rains.
The area’s local councillor Fiona Cunningham has also come out swinging against the proposed development at 999 Stanley Street East, where developer Start Property Holdings wants to build a 1209 sqm service station.
The development application for the proposed 7/11 was made in November last year.
“The development has been proposed to complement the range of services available in the local area by providing East Brisbane and the surrounding community retail fuels and convenience goods and services,” the application stated.
But residents have taken to council’s website to post objections, fearing that trucks using the facility would block the busy Stanley Street East thoroughfare and run off during flooding rains could impact the health of nearby Norman Creek.
Residents on Wednesday morning also staged a protest out the front of the proposed development on Wednesday.
“At 1200sq m it’s a tiny site and completely inappropriate for a service station,” local resident Pat Moran said.
“No matter the good intentions of the operator, the current development application will almost certainly allow petrol chemicals into the creek,” Mr Moran said.
“That will obviously pollute and then flow into the Brisbane River and then continue out into the bay.”
He said a neighbouring development was required by council to be raised above the flood level, a mandate which hasn’t been applied to this proposal.
The development application submitted in November stated that: “the proposed fuel-dispensing area is proposed to be above the flood planning level.”
Coorparoo ward councillor Fiona Cunningham said she “(does) not support the application in its current form.”
“I have provided feedback on the proposed application to raise my concerns about the proposed service station being in a flood zone and the potential environmental impacts as well as my concerns about the impact the proposal could have on traffic and cyclist movements in the area,” Ms Cunningham said.
City Planning chair Krista Adams said the application was currently under assessment by council planning officers.
Extracted from Courier Mail