1 Warrandyte Diary
November 2013
SUPERSOIL
GOLDFIELDS PLAZA
GARDEN CENTRE
✆ 9844 3329
1 Mahoneys Crt, Warrandyte
Open 6 Days
Mon–Fri 7am–5pm Saturday 8am–5pm
LAWN & GARDEN SOIL from $52m3
No 469, November 2013 ❂ For the community, by the community
Editorial & Advertising: 9844 0555
Email: info@warrandytediary.com.au
No United front By BRIANNA PIAZZA
WARRANDYTE residents have voiced strong opposition to a proposed petrol station and fast food chain at United Petroleum’s site on Yarra St, after construction work was carried out and petrol sold at the site in the last week of September. It is alleged the construction work and sale of fuel was carried out without a permit and has possibly breached local planning laws.
Last month the Diary reported how resident Deirdre Smart overheard construction work being carried out at the site at night on September 26. Over the next couple of days, a sign and pumps were installed and a truck attempted to deliver fuel at the site but was unsuccessful and caused Yarra St traffic to come to a halt. A station attendant sold fuel to customers over Grand Final Weekend before stopping due to orders from a
Manningham council representative on the Monday. Rob Nabben’s house is adjacent to the site and says the works undertaken in the last week of September were “irresponsible” given that Warrandyte is a designated high risk bushfire zone, with several homes surrounding the site. He suspects that because works were allegedly carried out without a permit and the service station atten-
dant was selling petrol outside with the cash register on a wheelie bin, United didn’t comply with required fire safety procedures. “There would be loads of procedures regarding what is and isn’t legal when running a petrol station because it’s toxic and highly volatile. What if an accident happened and all the residents paid the consequences? If you’re running a big facility then you’re taking responsibility for
Step right up
people’s safety and you can’t just run it like a pack of cowboys,” Mr Nabben said. Several residents believe that by selling fuel on Grand Final weekend, United was trying to evoke the Existing Use Rights Act. The Act states if a site is in continual use as a petrol station and fuel has been sold at the site in the last two years, then that Continued Page 5
The stage is set this week for a season of The 39 Steps at the Mechanics Institute. Preview, Page 15 Picture: STEPHEN REYNOLDS
Chapman Gardner B u i l d e r s Established 1977
John Chapman
Registered Building Practitioner
0412 540 342 Office: 9728 8477 Fax: 9728 8422 john.chapman@chapmangardner.com.au www.chapmangardnerbuilders.com.au
peter gardiner
LLB
general legal practitioner 40 years in legal practice office 1, 2 colin avenue warrandyte (adjacent to goldfields)
telephone 9844 1111 fax 9844 1792 peter@pgardiner.com
“Some people pay a compliment as if they expected a receipt.” — Kin Hubbard