Controversial plans for $1.7m servo near CBD gets the green light

The developer behind the 24-hour service station proposal admitted to councillors that he expected to be met with an “army with pitchforks.”

A development application for a $1.7m service station on the highway - soon to be bypassed - has been approved. Picture: iStock

Construction works could kick off in as little as eight weeks on a controversial new Mobil service station on the Pacific Highway, following the approval of a development application by councillors.

That’s according to Stephen Moore, the managing director of Central Coast-based development company RCI Group.

Mr Moore spoke at the Coffs Harbour City Council meeting on Thursday evening ahead of the crucial vote on the divisive DA, which saw three councillors vote in favour and two against.

Councillor Paul Amos declared a conflict of interest and did not vote, as he is the manager of Bailey Centre Liberty which is located nearby the site of the DA.

Mayor Cr Denise Knight also did not vote after declaring that she had a family link to the company behind the development.

The site of the yet to be built 24-hour Mobil petrol station on the Pacific Highway. Photo: Tim Jarrett

Mr Moore admitted he expected to be faced with an “army with pitchforks” at the meeting after the Council received 35 public submissions against the development. However, he was confident that the plans were compliant with all local and state government planning laws.

“It’s just a standard, mum-and-dad type of service station – and one that will kick off about 80 or 100 construction jobs in the next eight to ten weeks if we get approval tonight,” Mr Moore told the remaining councillors.

“Not only that, it will probably also drop fuel prices by about 20 cents a litre because we’ve done it at Port Macquarie, Salamander Bay, Moss Vale … you just can’t beat (Mobil) on price, they own the market.”

The $1.7m Mobil service station will be located north of the CBD and marks the sixth to be built in the vicinity, joining the likes of the Bailey Centre Liberty, Shell, United Petroleum, BP and Caltex.

The abundance of the existing service stations along the highway, which will soon be bypassed, was one of the reasons some residents were opposed to the plans.

RCI Group’s Stephen Moore said Mobil had a 35-year contract and were not “banking on tourist or through traffic.”

When asked about the viability of building another service station on a stretch of the highway soon to be bypassed, Mr Moore revealed Mobil had a 35-year contract for the site and were not “banking on tourist or through traffic.”

“Coffs Harbour is a strong town like Port Macquarie, and even when the bypass goes through you’ve got a population base of 75,000 to 80,000 people,” he said.

“They’re proceeding on the basis that localised traffic will more than sustain the service station.”

Speaking against the DA was local resident Helen Gorman whose home – which she has lived in for 57 years – backs on to the development site.

She asked councillors to refuse the proposal, revealing her bedroom window was only 23m from the fence line.

“We’ve been here for 57 years and now to have our life change like this would be terrible,” she said.

When the DA was put to the vote, councillors Keith Rhoades, George Cecato and Michael Adendorff voted in favour while Sally Townley and Tegan Swan voted against.

Cr Keith Rhodes told his fellow councillors that there was no reason from a planning perspective to reject the DA. Photo: Tim Jarrett

Cr Rhoades had cautioned his fellow councillors that refusing the development application could result in another legal battle for the Council in the Land and Environment Court, considering Council’s planners had recommended its approval following a comprehensive assessment.

“I can’t see any reason from a planning perspective that this should be rejected,” he said.

The development will involve the demolition of two single-storey fibro buildings on the site at 178 to 180 on the Pacific Highway, across from the Rose Ave Veterinary Hospital.