Grovedale servo and fast food outlets get green light from Geelong council despite community concerns over location
An online petition that garnered 179 signatures was not enough to stop plans for a service station, Oporto and Pizza Hut restaurant being approved by Geelong council.
Geelong
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A 24-hour service station and two accompanying fast food outlets will be built near a busy Grovedale intersection after Geelong council ticked off on the plans.
The site, at 294-296 Torquay Rd, will feature an Oporto and Pizza Hut restaurant, however it is understood an operator for the service station has not yet been locked in.
Located 100m north of the Heyers Rd intersection, the 3400sq metre block is currently vacant after existing housing was demolished.
The application, lodged early last year, received one letter of support compared to 24 objections and an online petition that garnered 179 signatures.
The petition raised several concerns, including the proximity of similar businesses and an increase in traffic in an already congested area.
APCO, Ampol and BP each have a service station within 2kms of the location.
Petition organiser Colin Sharp said he was disappointed the project had been approved.
“We’ve got enough takeaway service stations and takeaway (food) joints in the area,” he said.
“It’s already a very congested area without adding another service station to it.”
City Hall granted an interim permit for the development in December, with objectors then given 28 days to lodge an appeal with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
No appeals eventuated and the permit was formalised in late January.
In December, VCAT granted permission for a service station and food outlet to be built in Newcomb after Geelong council’s planning committee determined to refuse to grant a permit for the Bellarine Hwy development.
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