Turpin Drive Service Station

Niti Developments sought approval for a roadside service station and two drive-thru food and drink outlets at the corner of Kennedy Highway and Turpin Drive in Atherton. The site is a lot created through an earlier subdivision approval, in the Atherton industrial area. It serves workers, service vehicles and people travelling north and south along the highway.

The development includes a service station with an undercover fuel forecourt (eight car fuelling positions, two EV charging bays, and air and water facilities), two drive-thru tenancies, about 684 square metres of floor area, on-site parking and three freestanding signs. Every building is single storey.

The challenge

• Zoning: the planning scheme map showed this site as rural land because of a mapping error. It was resolved with Council through an exemption certificate, so the project could be assessed as code assessable development in the Industry Zone.
• Fitting the industrial area: non-industrial uses in the Industry Zone have to support the industrial area, avoid sensitive uses and not undermine the town centre.
• Highway frontage: the site adjoins the State-controlled Kennedy Highway, so the application needed State concurrence and careful access design.
• Signage: the three 6-metre pylon signs exceeded the accepted development limit for sign face area, so they had to be assessed alongside the main application.

Our role

• Prepared and lodged the planning report and application for a Material Change of Use and Operational Works for advertising devices.
• Worked through the zoning-map error with Council and obtained an exemption certificate.
• Held informal pre-lodgement discussion with Council and the Department of Transport and Main Roads, and sought advice from Ergon Energy.
• Coordinated the architectural, civil engineering and traffic inputs, including access, stormwater and vehicle swept-path analysis.
• Made a performance-based case for the minor departures on landscaping, parking, footpath provision and signage.
• Managed Council’s information request and the State concurrence response through to decision.

What was approved

• A service station with an undercover fuel forecourt, two underground fuel tanks and two EV charging bays.
• Two drive-thru food and drinks outlets, about 684 square metres of gross floor area in total across the three tenancies.
• Three freestanding signs, each 6 metres high.
• 24-hour, 7-day operation, with at least 30 car space and 5 bicycle spaces.
• Staged delivery: the service station and forecourt first, then the food outlets.