OTR lodges new plans for servo in Kensington Park

OTR has lodged new plans for a service station in Kensington Park, but only a handful of people — immediate neighbours — will be able to have their say.

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Only a handful of residents will be able to have a say about petrol giant OTR’s second application for a service station in Kensington Park.

Burnside Council’s chief executive officer Paul Deb said “approximately 10” properties “immediately adjoining” the site would be notified of the plan and be eligible to make submissions.

It is unclear when the council’s assessment panel will consider the proposal.

Mr Deb said the council had requested further information from Peregrine and the application “cannot progress … until this information is provided”.

Peregrine Corporation have lodged new plans to redevelop the former Ozone service station on Kensington Rd, Kensington Park. Picture: Eugene Boisvert

Peregrine’s original application for a $3 million, 24/7 service station on the corner of Kensington Rd and May Tce was rejected by the council and the State Government’s assessment panel in 2017.

Peregrine is currently appealing an Environment, Resources and Development Court decision in July last year to uphold that decision in the Supreme Court.

An OTR spokeswoman told the Eastern Courier Messenger the company was working on an alternative plan for the site which would “repurpose, reuse and modernise the footprint of the current building”.

The current building on the site was most recently a mechanics, but was once a petrol station.

“This revised design provides minimal impact to the local community,” the OTR spokeswoman said.

“If this final appeal (in the Supreme Court) is not successful, then it is the genuine view of Peregrine Corporation that they proceed with the revised plans and use the existing footprint on the site.”

The spokeswoman said the company would share updated plans if its application “progressed” with Burnside Council.

Local resident and vocal opponent of the development Chris Shakes said he would like to see more detail from Peregrine on the new proposal.

“It is difficult to see the problems with traffic and with scale can be resolved,” Mr Shakes said.

“Simply moving the building does not answer all the difficulties we have raised in the past.

“The site is too small for what Peregrine has proposed to date.

“We still have concerns with the safety of pedestrians, especially older people, school kids and motorists at peak times.

“We have no reason to back off from the views we’ve had over the past two years.

“We don’t accept there is a an urgent need to develop this site in the way it is proposed.

“The longer this drags on, the more opposed people are. We’re not going away.”