Contentious fast-food outlets opposite Hammond Park Primary School approved by development panel
A proposal for fast-food outlets at Hammond Park — which was opposed by parents and the Cancer Council for promoting unhealthy eating to students at the nearby school — has been approved.
The Broad Vision Projects development on Gaebler Road was approved by the Metro Outer Development Assessment Panel on Thursday despite extensive opposition to the inclusion of a 24/7 7-Eleven service station, McDonald’s, and Starbucks.
The development has been contentious among the community with Hammond Park Primary School parents signing a petition earlier this year to oppose fast-food outlets being able to operate facing the school’s main oval.
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Nearly 450 submissions were received during public consultations, with 60 per cent of responses opposing the development.
Recommendations for the development to be refused were also made by the City of Cockburn, the Department of Education, and the Cancer Council.
The Department of Education raised concerns that the proximity of the school to fast-food outlets could “result in unhealthy diets”.
Concerns were also raised about possible exposure to emissions from the service station and the possibility of compounding existing parking and traffic issues, which could compromise pedestrian safety.
At the meeting, Board Vision Project’s John Del Dosso said the development would be “inconsequential” to traffic in the area.
“Hammond Road will be becoming a dual carriageway with four lanes and a large central median strip. It’s not going to be a sleepy hollow,” he said.
“That frontage is actually a carriageway off Hammond Road, despite our project that will be torn up. This road will have 25,000 to 30,000 cars per day on it.”
He said the development would add 410 trips in the morning and 658 trips in the evening, which would not impact the local road network.
Neil Teo from Dynamic Planning mentioned the closest buildings in the development were 120 metres away from the school and the buildings at the school faced Eucalyptus Drive rather than Gaebler Road.
“We are in fact a site that has isolation,” he said.
Most of the development assessment panel was satisfied with the developer’s application with four out of five members approving the project.
Cockburn councillor and DAP member Tarun Dewan was the only one to oppose the application.
The drive-thru precinct will include three fast-food outlets, a service station, a medical centre and a self-service car wash.