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Canning Vale retirement village residents angry as 24-hour petrol station set to go ahead

Ben SmithCanning Gazette

AGGRIEVED Canning Vale retirement village residents have expressed disappointment over plans for a petrol station directly opposite their home.

The proposed 24-hour convenience store with filling stations is part of a wider redevelopment of the site on the corner of Nicholson and Birnam Roads, currently occupied by Nicholson’s Bar and Grill.

The development also includes a two-storey tavern, a doctor’s consultation rooms and an office block.

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However, residents living on Jacaranda Gardens’ outer side on Birnam Road say they are upset a Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) has recommended approval of the petrol station, despite their objections.

The application received 46 responses during the public consultation phase, 43 of which were objections, mainly regarding the petrol station.

Birnam Road resident John Palmer said he and his neighbours could not believe a petrol station could be allowed to be built so close to residences, which could potentially devalue as a result.

“In the report, they said it was recommended there’s a 200m buffer between petrol pumps and the closest house, yet we’ve got 44m,” he said.

The JDAP report stated the applicant had proposed mitigation methods to limit the impact on the residents, which included double-contained fuel storage tank systems with a leak monitoring space and vapour recovery systems.

While the site would have entrances on Nicholson and Birnam Roads, the only exit is onto the latter, which resident David Haddow said would significantly impact those who lived on the road.

“The idea is everything funnels off Nicholson Road and funnels out of Birnam Road here. There’s definitely going to be issues,” he said.

His neighbour John Hale said he was worried about the potential health implications given the short buffer zone.

“They can say all they like about having no fumes, but I’ve been around gas and ordinary fuel and there’s always fumes coming off it,” he said.

The Metro East JDAP will meet on Thursday morning to vote on the application.