Concerns raised servo complex will add to congestion woes

The proposed development would include car wash facilities, drive-through food outlets and a medical centre

A development application was submitted to Ipswich City Council in December to build a service station complex over two stages on Mount Crosby Rd in Chuwar. Residents have raised concerns it will only add to congestion in the area.

IPSWICH residents have raised concerns about the impact a proposed service station complex, complete with a car wash and drive-through food outlets, would have on an already heavily congested road.

A development application was submitted to Ipswich City Council in December to build the complex over two stages on Mount Crosby Rd in Chuwar.

The 10,115m2 site for the proposed development is located across 266-274 Mount Crosby Rd.

The proposed development would include car wash facilities.

If approval is granted, stage one would involve building a service station with three refuelling islands, a shop building, three food and drink outlets including two drive-through components and car wash facilities with one manual bay and four automatic bays.

The application notes access to stage one would be via a new median separated driveway crossover to Mount Crosby Rd, which will be limited to left-in and left-out movements only.

Stage two involves the construction of a 500m2 medical centre, with access to this coming via a new driveway crossover to Mount Crosby Rd, again limited to left-in and left-out movements.

It is proposed the development would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A total of 70 carparking spaces will be provided on site.

“A dedicated left-turn lane will be provided to ensure safe vehicle movements into the subject site,” the application notes.

“To facilitate the dedicated deceleration left-turn lane, 133m2 of the subject site frontage will be required to be dedicated as a road.

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“The proposed development will provide sufficient on-site carparking to cater for the expected peak demand as the proposed uses have differing peak hours and carparking will be shared across the development.

“The five existing driveway crossovers will be demolished and two new driveway crossovers will be constructed, one for each stage of the development.”

Several submissions submitted as part of the public notification process are now being considered by the council.

Shane Karandrews said traffic is already “intense” during peak periods along the stretch of road heading towards the Warrego Highway - Mt Crosby Rd interchange.

“This site is north of the middle roundabout that comprises the traffic intersection of the Mt Crosby Warrego highway interchange,” he wrote.

“There is currently a single lane roadway at this location.

“This roadway interchange is the subject of intense public and roadway user awareness

and dissatisfaction relating to capacity and congestion with previous state parliamentary

petitions and a recent (Department of Transport and Main Roads) community consultation process undertaken relating to proposed future upgrade plans.

“The roadway is acknowledged to be at capacity for uninterrupted traffic flow currently.

“The assumption of rapidly increasing population density for this region has not been

adequately factored for the impacts to an already at capacity road network in this area.

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“The traffic survey conducted for this report was conducted on one single day only

(30/01/2020) and does not reflect an average of traffic assessments.”

Mr Karandrews believed the area was already well serviced by existing service stations.

“Within this catchment, there are existing service stations already located at Karana Downs (1), Karalee (2), North Ipswich (4), Bundamba (3), Blacksoil (2),” he wrote.

Courtney Cameron said such a development was not needed in the area.

“There is a service station across the road, one 30 seconds down the street and another in Karana Downs,” she wrote.

“A new doctor’s office has just gone up in Karalee, there are two in Karana Downs

“This is insanity.”

Dr Conny Turni from East Ipswich said this development should not go ahead until the much-maligned Mount Crosby Rd interchange is upgraded.

“For years residents that use the (Mount Crosby Rd) interchange have (complained) about the traffic and the traffic jams when driving through,” she wrote.

“The reason why is quite obvious when you come there at peak hours.

“The line of cars is amazing going back all the way to Tivoli school from Sapar at the roundabout.

“Building a medical centre and car wash and service centre will just add to this already

congested traffic problem.”

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Marcus West said the environmental impact needed to be considered and the increased traffic the development would bring would be too much.

“The increased traffic it would cause can not be managed on the existing one lane part of Mt Crosby Road and it would make travelling the road dangerous and too busy,” he wrote.

“There are already enough service stations in the area and more can be accessed close by via the highway.

“It would change the environment which has a lot of trees and wildlife at the moment but when the houses are removed and development is built the wildlife has nowhere to go.”

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

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