About 120 people have signed a petition against a proposed Liberty service station at the corner of Civic Parade and Millers Road in Seaholme.
The site was formerly Mifsud Motors, a car yard and mechanical workshop, which closed in February after 32 years.
Antola Pty Ltd has applied to Hobsons Bay council for a planning permit to operate the petrol station and convenience store, commissioning a report which states the site was a petrol station in the 1960s.
The site is zoned general residential, with houses adjoining either side, a small shopping strip diagonally across the intersection and Seaholme Primary School directly opposite.
Objectors say a service station will negatively impact on the safety and amenity of the school and Seaholme and Altona residents, while it is also out of character with the quality of the established residential neighbourhood and will cause traffic chaos.
School parent Bill Young said he was concerned about the potential hazardous materials and traffic.
“The application doesn’t state the volumes of combustibles to be stored on site nor does it state the type,” he said. “I’m concerned about the lack of safety and environment information supplied in the proposal.”
A report prepared for Antola states that general residential zoning allowed for non-residential uses if the location was appropriate to serve the local community.
“The site’s size and location at the intersection of two higher-order roads makes the proposed use logical,” it stated.
“The site’s long history of non-residential land use, including previous service station use, supports the proposal.”
Submissions can be made until the application goes before the council.
