New bid to expand Safety Beach servo launched after original plan knocked back
Fresh plans have been lodged for a Mornington Peninsula service station make over and locals are worried the golden arches are on the way.
South East
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Locals are bracing for another fight after fresh plans to expand a Mornington Peninsula petrol station emerged.
An application has been lodged with the local council for a $6m development of a Safety Beach BP including a new convenience restaurant.
The plan is yet to be advertised but some fear it is another attempt to bring McDonalds to the town.
In 2019 AA Holdings applied to demolish an existing service station, convenience store and the house behind it to build a new BP and convenience restaurant at the Marine Drive/Nepean Highway intersection.
McDonalds wasn’t named in the plan but locals were convinced the yellow arches were on the way.
About 1000 objections were lodged as locals feared the development would make the busy intersection even more congested.
Mornington Peninsula Shire rejected the plan in July 2020 and the decision was appealed at the Victorian Civil and Planning Tribunal in late 2021.
Locals have already vowed to fight again, saying little had changed since the original plan was knocked back.
“We stopped it last time, we can do it again,” a woman posted to social media.
“That stretch of beach and vegetation from Dromana and Safety Beach is already polluted with rubbish and overflowing bins, adding a fast food outlet will only worsen the problem,” another added.
Others called for the intersection to be upgraded before any redevelopment.