Plans for a service station and fast food outlet on the western side of Beaufort on the Western Highway have been knocked back by Pyrenees Shire Council.
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The council decided at its council meeting on Wednesday night that the plans did not comply with a number of clauses in the Pyrenees Planning Scheme.
The council received nearly 40 objections to the proposal, including issues covering the use of the farming zone, the protection of agricultural land and the design of rural areas.
The plan, which had been submitted by urban planner Jake Koumoundouros from Docklands-based company Human Habitats, included scope for petrol facilities for up to eight cars and four trucks, a service station convenience shop, two food and drink premises, one of 156 metres squared, the other of 74sqm, with the larger of the two having access to a drive thru.
The 1700sqm by 870sqm site was to include 58 parking spaces of which 41 were for cars, three for caravans and 14 for trucks.
A communal dining area, children's play centre and disabled access and landscaping are also part of the proposal.
In its submission to the shire, Human Habitats said:
"The growing number of vehicles using this stretch of the Western Highway has resulted in the need to provide an adequate rest and service facility to entice drivers on long distance journeys to take breaks".
"This need will become further exacerbated once the Beaufort bypass is completed.
"With this in mind, we submit that the proposed development will deliver a positive outcome in response to the Pyrenees Planning Scheme."
However the council disagreed saying: "The proposed building would not sit well within the open rural landscape; and the building's proposed design is lacking in its consideration of the natural environment".
"The application attempts to address planning scheme objectives and strategies by relying on the proposed Beaufort Bypass.
"The bypass has not been confirmed or incorporated into the planning scheme and cannot be considered with regards to this application."
The developer can appeal the decision at the Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
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