Mobil West Ballina development opposed by Sunset Ave neighbours

A North Coast resident holds grave health fears for her family after a service station development was proposed behind her backyard.

A West Ballina resident holds grave health fears for her family’s health after a bid was launched to build a service station behind her yard.

Samantha Singh has lived on Sunset Ave for about four years.

She was drawn there by the allure of a gated community and a spacious backyard to call her own.

But now, a proposed development directly behind her could threaten that.

A recent development proposal put to Ballina Shire Council would result in 483 and 485 River St, currently the Coastal Wholesales used car dealership, being turned into a service station convenience store and neighbourhood shop.

The $2.7 million project proposes new jobs and “public interest” including a service for local and passive 24/7 surveillance.

Mobil is one of developer RCI Group’s existing clients and branding attached to DA documents suggest the proposed service station would be operated by that company.

A pre-lodgement meeting between RCI Group and the council raised issues of acoustic impacts on neighbouring homes and a range of planning controls.

According to the development application, the River St car yard would be demolished for a service station, convenience store and neighbourhood shop. Picture: Tessa Flemming

Impacts on neighbouring homes is exactly what Ms Singh, a former service station worker, is worried about.

Her primary concern was the consequences on her seven-year-old son Ashveer who was still dealing with the lingering effects of a bout of pneumonia when he was four.

Ms Singh said it was an ailment already affected by a service station just across the road.

“I literally have to shut up my entire house because of the fumes that travel from that side of the road to this side of the road,” she said.

“My son pretty much stops breathing, I have to shut up my entire house and I can’t let him outside.

“The safety of my children are more important than them serving petrol.”

Samantha Singh and her seven-year-old son Ashveer are concerned about the health impacts of the proposed development behind their backyard. Picture: Tessa Flemming

Ms Singh said the proposed service station was unnecessary for the growing residential area.

“In our five kilometres radius, there are eight petrol stations,” she said.

“It’s not like we need another petrol station.

“There is every single brand of petrol you can get.”

She also feared the development would impact the value of her property.

“If we wanted to sell it would dramatically drop,” Ms Singh said.

“People aren’t going to want to live next to a petrol station.”

The current entry into Sunset Ave as recently modified by Ballina Shire Council. The nearby Shell Station Grocer can be seen in the distance. Picture: Tessa Flemming

It comes after Ballina Shire Council upgraded River St and nearby roads by adding a median strip to the entry of Sunset Ave.

Ms Singh anticipated traffic flow would be a supplementary problem for the development.

“(The median strip) has taken out all the parking for our street,” she said.

“The garbage truck struggles to get through, we had to move our location for him to collect … I don’t understand how you’re going to handle traffic.”

The application is yet to go to public exhibition, but developers have suggested a ‘built form buffer” could be built at the station’s rear to help mitigate land use conflicts with adjoining housing.

Mobil has been contacted for comment.