A planned petrol station on Birnam Road has raised protest from a nearby retirement village whose residents say it will threaten the future of their already-stressed community.
The development, located at 6 Birnam Road, proposes the construction of mixed-use buildings and a service station next to the existing Nicholson’s Bar and Grill.
John and Brenda Palmer, of Jacaranda Gardens Retirement Village in Canning Vale, have gathered signatures from more than 200 residents of the village and neighbouring homes, expressing their concern the planned development would bring an unnecessary level of traffic and noise to the area.
“There’s a lot of little streets here – Clere Pass comes from Birnam Road, and Flynn Street is a little T-Junction that comes off of that and we have a whole lot of signatures from them. Residents are very concerned.”
The Palmers said they are largely concerned about traffic flow and congestion, which they say has increased greatly following development on Nicholson Road and Ranford Road.
“The idea of another service station going in, it’s crazy to us,” Ms Palmer said.
“There’s already one just 200 metres down the road.
“We really don’t see the need for it, or why it was approved.”
The Palmers brought the petition to Gosnells City council on August 30, while also providing a copy to Member for the Southern River Terry Healy.
Mr Healy said he understood the concerns of the residents.
“As seen by the response to the petition, numerous local residents fiercely oppose the building of this petrol station,” he said.
“I am glad that I have been able to give residents a voice in Parliament about their opposition to the JDAP’s decision.”
Mr Healy presented the petition to parliament on Tuesday September 18.
According to the Gosnells Joint Development and Assessment Panel (JDAP), the development would have to meet stringent requirements due to its proximity to the retirement village and suburban community.
According to the JDAP plan, a Traffic Impact Statement (TIS) was submitted in support of the application, which assessed traffic from Nicholson Road, as well as two crossovers from Birnam Road.
The TIS stated the development would actually improve pedestrian safety around the Nicholson Road and Ranford Road intersection and surrounding areas, as it would mean more public infrastructure development.
Yet the work put into the development has not necessarily allayed local concerns.
“In the end, we’re worried it will break down what is a small community,” Ms Palmer said.
“The ones down the road, they’re already busy all through peak hour, you see people lining up for hours.
“I don’t know if our neighbourhood can take that.”
