Developer responds to council's request for more information

THE developer of a three-stage service station has responded to the council's list of outstanding issues, eight months on from when they were first raised.

PROGRESS: About 300 people packed out a meeting in Crows Nest on April 17 to hear about the proposed service station and car wash . Picture: Contributed

THE developer of a three-stage service station in Crows Nest has responded to Toowoomba Regional Council's list of outstanding issues, eight months on from when they were first raised.

The council identified 16 issues with the service station and carwash proposed by Marakech Pty Ltd on swamp land in Crows Nest, on the corner of the New England Highway and Albert St.

The most significant change to the proposal is the switch to above-ground petrol storage tanks, a move designed to allay the council's fears of hydrocarbon contamination of the Toowoomba region's main drinking water supplies, Cressbrok Dam.

The council had asked the developer re-design the proposed service station and car wash in a way that did not involve importing 2,673 cubic metres of soil to fill-in the floodplain and raise the height of the development.

Instead, the proponent argued it had mitigated the effect of the development on floodplain capacity by designing a "large, open channel”, thereby allowing the development to "exceed the current floodplain storage capacity and increase the conveyance capacity through the subject site”.

"As such it is seen that the proposed development will provide greater floodway capacity, conveyance and floodplain storage than the existing channel,” the report, which was recently lodged with the council, said.

"As noted within the provided Stormwater Management Plan, the subject site will provide full stormwater quality and hydrocarbon treatment and will, therefore, improve upon drinking water collection by reducing catchment erosion.”

The council, suspecting the site interacted with the underlying groundwater aquifer, asked Marakech Pty Ltd to investigate.

But company said "no groundwater was observed up to 5m below the natural surface level”.

More than 30 people made submissions to the council over the proposal, during the period for public comment, which closed on March 30, and a number have spoken out publicly, objecting to the development.

The project remains under assessment by the council.

Originally published as Developer responds to council's request for more information