Alexandra Street Gemini smash repairs workshop approved with tight conditions at council meeting

A petition from 44 people was received by council, with concerns around a new development on Alexandra Street in North Rockhampton. Find out here if it was approved.

Gemini smash repairs in Alexandra Street.

The approval of a vehicle smash repairs workshop with a spray booth in North Rockhampton was hotly debated around the council table, ultimately leading to councillors taking a break to gather their thoughts.

The workshop has been met with some opposition from community members, with a petition submitted during the advertising period for the development application.

The application at the centre of the debate on Tuesday morning at the Rockhampton Regional Council meeting was submitted by the AMA Group Limited for 3/57 Alexandra Street, Park Avenue.

The proposal was to convert an existing warehouse into a vehicle repair workshop.

Minor internal building works would be conducted to create a new reception/office area and staff amenities, a wash bay along the western wall of the warehouse, two enclosed spray paint booths on the northern wall and new air vents.

The workshop would be a second site in town for Gemini smash repairs, which already has a site in South Rockhampton.

The business expects to employ about 20 full-time employees between the workshop and administration and would receive and repair 40-60 vehicles on average per week.

The main concern for councillors was around the operating hours.

It was originally proposed the site could be accessed on weekends, but not operate, for the purpose of tow trucks dropping off vehicles from crashes.

Multiple councillors had concerns around noise and disturbance to residential neighbours at all hours of the night and particularly on Sundays.

A strong discussion went back and forth between councillors and the planning officer and the first vote to approve the development was lost.

After a short break and discussion, a new alternative was proposed and the application was approved – with tight conditions.

Any movement of delivery vehicles must be restricted between the operating hours of 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

The council report also noted there was seven submissions, including a petition of 44 people, during the public notification period for the development application.

Some of the matters raised in the submissions were around pollution impact, noise on adjoining businesses and residents and traffic increase.

A specialist report was carried out and determined there would not be any “adverse noise or odour/ air quality impacts that potential to impact on the amenity, health and safety of residents”.

Floor plan for the vehicle smash repairs workshop on Alexandra Street.

It was noted the two spray booths were located within the warehouse and as far as possible from residential properties and no spray painting would occur outside of the booths as it would all be contained.

In response to the traffic concerns, all traffic must enter and exit the site via the access driveway in Alexandra Street.

The business “is not a high trafficking generating use” and the number of vehicle movements to and from the site is “not unreasonable for what is expected for an industrial use in an industrial zone”.

Concerns of chemical leakage, stormwater run-off and waste management were referred back to the condition that the spray painting activities would solely take place in a new, insulated, prefabricated spray painting booth, which has been designed to meet requirements and legislation.

The waste will be stored in designated areas and managed and collected from the site by private contractors.

Residents raised concerns of impacts on privacy and conflicts on adjoining businesses.

Council planning officers argued the previous site use was an industrial use and this new business was no different.

Signage has been placed on the building and councillor did raise concerns the signage was already up, despite it not yet being approved.

Planning officers advised while it wasn’t ideal, there was nothing they could legally do to stop developers from doing that.

The development was approved, subject to the previously mentioned conditions and more.

Originally published as Alexandra Street Gemini smash repairs workshop approved with tight conditions at council meeting