Town Planning Report - Car wash & Food and drink outlet

“Adamson Town Planning, specialising in providing higher order town planning advice”


                generally provide their own washing services and are unlikely to utilise the car wash
                services proposed herein.
             b) Due to this, the car wash is likely to attract vehicles to the industrial area that would not
                otherwise be travelling in that area.
             c) The Jarrah Street location is somewhat remote from the intended Cooroy-Tewantin road
                corridor catchment, and as such will cause a level of trip lengthening as vehicles divert
                from that route to the car wash location. Whilst this will predominantly involve travel
                along Garnet Street, it will involve vehicles turning from the railway overpass right onto
                Myall Street and passing through the Myall Street/Maple Street roundabout, forcing
                interactions with other vehicles at that roundabout and at the Myall / Elm intersection
                — including most visitors to the town centre. Furthermore, it is likely that a number of
                car wash patrons, unfamiliar with the area, will drive through the town centre rather than
                diverting around it on Garnet Street. Whilst a matter more so for a town planner to
                consider, it is evident that Maple Street should be protected where possible from traffic
                volume increases to keep its preferred character.
             d) The Holts Road location is closer to the intended Cooroy-Tewantin Corridor catchment,
                but still involves diversions from the main travel path. This involves vehicles having to
                circulate via the roads that form part of the Exit 230 interchange. Whilst Holts Road is a
                convenient location to place heavy vehicle depots to ensure reasonable accessibility to
                the Bruce Highway whilst minimising the need for such vehicles to travel through the
                town, this advantage would not exist in the case of the proposed car wash. Vehicles
                utilising the car wash would typically already be travelling along Elm Street and Myall
                Street. Moreso, it would reduce the opportunity for more appropriate uses to locate to
                Holts Road where Council would prefer vehicles associated with those potential uses to
                minimise their interactions with the town proper, but still have good accessibility to the
                Bruce Highway.12

      From a town planning perspective, the above comments are supported. In my opinion, the
      industrial land in the Cooroy locality is not well suited for a commercial car wash being more
      removed from the main road network with the industrial estates being relatively isolated and
      more a purpose destination. Further, even if land was available in the industrial estates (which
      is currently not the case), it is not desirable for additional traffic to be funnelled into these
      locations given the nature of these uses.

      It is noted that on inspection of the existing industrial areas, many of the streets within these
      estates contain parked cars when the industrial businesses are in full operation and are quite
      congested. Further, I agree with the traffic expert that despite the Garnet Street link road being
      in place bypassing the town centre, the intersection at Maple Street at times is extremely busy
      and congested, in particular at school drop off and pickup times and on a Saturday mornings.
      From a town planning perspective, it is not desirable for additional traffic to be funnelled into
      this location.

      The majority of the visitors to the area are not aware of the Garnet Street link road to Mary
      River Road and around the main town centre area. Even if there was land available in the
      Cooroy industrial estates, in my opinion, these areas a not well located or suitable for the

      12
           Traffic Impact Assessment, para 23




      21017 – Kings Group                                                                    Page 35