Pearl Energy truck 24/7 service station approved for Parkhurst

The 24/7 service station proposed for the city’s northern outskirts will cater for southbound traffic travelling on the Rockhampton Ring Road.

3D perspectives of the service station for 1018 Yaamba Rd, Parkhurst.

The development of a truck service station at Parkhurst was a controversial topic at the Rockhampton Regional Council meeting on June 27.

The 24/7 service station is planned for land at 1018 Yaamba Rd, Parkhurst, next to the Casa Nostra Motel and Korte’s Resort and required council meeting approval as it did not meet some codes of the planning scheme.

Pearl Energy Group, which has Mobil-branded sites on Albert St and Queen Elizabeth Dr in Rockhampton and one in Gracemere, is behind the development.

The Australian company launched the brand in 2018 in Brisbane and is supply partners with Ampol and Mobil.

The block of land at 1018-1038 Yaamba Rd, Parkhurst, where a service station has been approved and will take up 10 per cent of the site.

The facility would cater for traffic travelling southbound on the Rockhampton Ring Road as it is located 3.5km from the Yeppoon and Yaamba roads intersection, where the ring road links back up to the existing highway.

The plans include eight bowsers for standard vehicles and two for heavy vehicles.

It would be the last service station for 318km north of the site that has a trucker’s lounge, b-double access and truck parking.

3D perspectives of the service station for 1018 Yaamba Rd, Parkhurst.

The building for the service station would also have a food and drink element.

The service station site itself will take up 10 per cent of the site as the land will be subdivided into two lots.

Lot one will be 10,000 sqm, which the service station development will sit on, leaving 88,470 sqm for a second lot which will be retained as low density residential to allow for future residential development.

Renders for the Pearl Energy service station by Verve Building Design.

Access to the development will be from two new access points - entry and exit driveways.

The planning report recommending the development for approval states the facility provides a “convenience function for road users of Yaamba Road (Bruce Highway)”.

“The proposal will provide refuelling and rest facilities including for heavy vehicles north of the Rockhampton Ring Road’s intersection with Yaamba Road, which avoids heavy vehicles having to re-enter Rockhampton city and undermine the purpose of the RRR project,” it stated.

It is noted that 2640 heavy vehicles transit through Rockhampton daily and the nearest service stations are located at Parkhurst Town Centre and the Parkhurst Motel and Van Park, both of which don’t cater for heavy vehicles.

North elevations of the service station by Verve Building Design.

Discussing the development, Councillor Cherie Rutherford shared many concerns and asked multiple questions about the sterilisation of future residential use on the site and how many service stations were too many.

The hours of the development, being 24/7, did not meet the requirements however RRC principal planning officer Brendan Standen determined “the application material demonstrated the use can operate 24 hours, seven days per week without adversely impacting on adjoining land uses and the surrounding area”.

The proposed site at 1018 - 1038 Yaamba Rd, Parkhurst.

To mitigate this, the design included a 5.5m high acoustic fence to be constructed around the side and rear boundaries of the service station.

The acoustic fence does not directly join a common boundary with the residential areas or accommodation.

Mobile refrigeration vehicles will also be restricted to not operate their units between 10pm and 6am.

There are also conditions around the outdoor lighting to not cause nuisance to nearby residents and motorists.

Ultimately after lengthy discussions, the vote to approve the development was successful with Ms Rutherford recording her vote against the matter.