SAT hearing on Angove Street petrol station complete
After being rejected by the City of Vincent council, the Development Assessment Panel and North Perth residents, the On The Run petrol station company has appealed the decision to the SAT.
Vincent councillor Nicole Woolf attended the preliminary hearing and shared an update on social media.
'The meeting wasn't about design, health or traffic,' Cr Woolf said.
'It was focused on two threshold questions: has the site been in continuous use as a petrol station? If yes, is a development application required for the proposed refurb?'
Cr Woolf said if there was no continuous use, then the application could not go ahead as the city's planning scheme now prohibited petrol stations in that area.
However, if it was considered to have been continuously used and no development application was required, the proposal could move forward with no further proceedings. If a development application was required, then there would be more proceedings regarding the design.
The administrator of the Stop the Station Facebook page provided a 'personal update' from their experience at the meeting.
'On a bleak and cold Tuesday, a small community group walked into another bleak and cold area — courtroom 6 at SAT,' they said in their post.
'We were soon to witness OTR lawyers dissecting and twisting clauses.
'Breaking it down word by word, by item, minutely, boringly, quoting ridiculous precedents, all to prove that there is a continuation of use for the site.'
They described it as disheartening 'nit-picking' and 'verbal diarrhoea' that 'muted' the community's voices.
'We can only hope the decision of the honourable judge is for our community,' they said.
Reasons for rejection included the impact on local traffic, safety of pedestrian and cyclists, and health impacts on local residents and primary school students.
As part of their protest residents stuck dirty socks on the fence around the site, symbolising that they think the proposal stinks. Socks stuck to the fence in protest. Credit: SG
Cr Woolf said a final decision would most likely be made by September.
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