Green light for 24/7 service station on Bribie Island Road after divided council vote

Plans for a new service station on one of Moreton Bay’s busiest arterial roads have been given the green light – despite opposition to the proposal.

The development application (DA), for a 4.2-hectare triangular site on the corner of Bribie Island Rd and Old Toorbul Point Rd, was approved by Moreton Bay City Council.

Councillors were divided after lengthy discussion in last week’s general meeting with the final vote 10-3 in favour of the application.

It paves the way for a new 24/7 service station at 411-449 Bribie Island Rd - on the intersection for Abbey Museum - with eight bowsers for cars and two for commercial vehicles.

Council officers said the site is in the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area of the SEQ Regional Plan which prioritises rural activities but does not prohibit a service station.

Being close to tourism, education service activities – and with upgrades planned for Bribie Island Rd - reinforced the site’s “potential for a use that aligns with the evolving mixed-use character of the locality”.

Cr Brooke Savige (Div 1) led the opposition describing the service station proposal as a “bland unimaginative application for this parcel of land”.

“I do not consider the applicant has considered the opportunities for this key strategically located parcel, nor taken into consideration the purposes of the Abbey precinct,” she said.

“I feel there is a moral and perhaps a community expectation and obligation to use this land in a way that adds to the precinct, the community and strategic vision for this area.

“I do not believe a service station supports the intent and outcomes of then strategic vision of the Abbey precinct.

“It is a waste of a valuable strategic site. Lacks fore thought and consideration for the overall intention of the site.”

Eleven public submissions were lodged, all opposing the plans, but nothing from an existing service station nearby.

Cr Mark Booth (Div 2) raised concerns about vehicles turning onto an 80km/h arterial road and Cr Ellie Smith (Div 11) about electric vehicle recharging points being part of the plans.

Mayor Peter Flannery agreed “it probably is a site that could have been used for better purposes” but added “this is the application in front of us and the application we have to deal with”.

“With 800,000 visitors going to Bribie Is each year I think there’s a lot of cars will need petrol. I think the demand is there. Performance outcomes seem to stack up,” he said.

“I don’t think we have the grounds to take this to court to defend a refusal.”

A separate development application has also been submitted to expand the existing service station on the roundabout of Bribie Island Rd and Bestmann Rd, Ningi.

Proposals are for “food and drink outlets and low impact industry (tyre and auto centre)” on an adjoining 3880sqm block, as well as changes to the existing car wash.

The application says: “Overall, these changes are proposed to address the increasing demand for vehicle-focused services in this locality.”