Toowoomba council approves new Stellarossa drive-through cafe at precinct on Anzac Avenue in Harristown, construction start date revealed

Toowoomba is getting a new coffee shop after plans were approved, and one franchise is a clear frontrunner. Now the developer has revealed when he expects construction to start.

The developer behind a drive-through coffee shop as part of a $4m Toowoomba food precinct hopes to have construction started by next year.

Campbell Knox received approval last week from the Toowoomba council for a new food and drink outlet on the corner of Anzac Avenue and Devine Street in Harristown.

The new venue is the second stage of a precinct that already finished a now-opened Oporto drive-through restaurant.

Mr Knox, who was thrilled by the approval at a special meeting on Wednesday, said the next steps revolved around securing operational works to start construction.

A new drive-through cafe has been proposed for the corner of Anzac Avenue and Alderley Streets in Harristown, Toowoomba.

“There’s still a fair bit to get through with the operational works but mid-next year I’d like (to have construction start),” he said.

The plans submitted to council suggested the cafe could be a Stellarossa, but Mr Knox said several franchises were lining to occupy the space.

“It may or may not be (but) it will be coffee,” he said.

“I’ve got plenty of interest from other coffee operators and now we’ve got the approval we can get that sorted.”

The project started life more than four years ago as a five-tenancy “Eat Street” development that was approved by the council in 2020 before being scaled back.

Precinct Urban Planning’s Andrew Bullen, who worked with the developer on the proposal, said the new plan was less intense than the previous iteration and more sensitive to neighbouring properties.

“It’s a less intense use but I’d also say that by having those lesser buildings it was much better separation,” he said.

“The drive throughs can be the things that cause problems, but it’s a reduced size and they have been moved to front Anzac Avenue.

“The previous development had a drive-through going around the back, this relocates them to the front.

“The overall site is smaller too, because the lot at the back is not included.”

EARLIER: COUNCIL APPROVES DRIVE-THROUGH CAFE

A proposal for a new drive-through coffee shop to service Toowoomba’s western suburbs has taken a step forward after the council gave it the green light.

Councillors voted at Wednesday’s special meeting to approve changes to a half-completed food precinct on the corner of Anzac Avenue and Devine Street in Harristown.

Originally proposed and approved as a five-tenancy project in early 2020 at a controversial council meeting, developer Devine Investment Trust offered to scale back the development to just two drive-through outlets.

The first stage, an Oporto closest to the corner, has already been built and opened, while the second stage will be a Stellarossa coffee shop.

Council’s senior planner Jayden Forbes-Mitchell recommended the changes be approved by council, arguing they would lessen the noise and traffic impacts on surrounding residential neighbours.

While she voted for the development, councillor Carol Taylor took issue with conditions that stated the developer didn’t need to build acoustic fencing on the border of its neighbours’ property if it couldn’t obtain consent from those landholders.

“It’s either a condition or it’s not a condition — if I can talk to someone and say I’ve sent a letter (asking for permission), I can’t see how that can nullify a condition,” she said.

In response, development services manager Danielle Fitzpatrick said consent needed to be obtained before any fence could be built under the planning scheme.

“The condition is about constructing a fence along those properties, so you can’t construct a fence along a property if you don’t have consent,” she said.

“It’s along those residents’ properties, and that’s why the conditions are drafted that way.”

Only councillor Kerry Shine voted against the proposal.