24-hour service station, car wash and shops planned for Molong Road

According to a development application [DA] on display at the Orange City Council offices the service centre would replace an existing car servicing business at 68-74 Molong Road.

The service station and convenience store would operate for 24 hours every day while the car wash would operate from 7am-10pm daily.

Acoustic walls on the northern boundary of the 3544-square metre site would be constructed to minimise noise to adjacent residential properties.

Four residences were identified as being most likely to be affected.

A noise study attached to the DA said the walls, measures to restrict noise on site and closing the car wash at 10pm would ensure noise levels were adequate.

The development application states the work would include removing the existing buildings.

“It will be necessary to demolish all of the existing buildings and ancillary structures on the land, along with a number of existing trees and two street trees,” it said.

“Also earthworths, cutting and filling, and associated retaining walls are proposed across the site so as to provide a more level site for the development to occur.”

Site remediation works will include the removal of asbestos.

The DA has identifed fragments of asbestos cement sheeting scattered over a five-square metre area.

However, it said the fragments were on top of the ground and would not need extensive digging to remove them. 

Apart from the convenience store two shops would also be constructed on the site.

They would measure spaces of 50 square metres and 86 square metres.

“There is potential for them to be combined to form a single tenancy,” the DA said.

A six-metre tall advertising sign would also be installed on Molong Road.

7-Eleven and the company which lodged the development application, Hargreaves Property Group, were contacted for comment.

The DA will be on display at the council offices until Friday, January 5.

Public submissions about the application can be made to the council.

After January 5 those submissions will be considered and a report prepared for council.

The site has had a varied history.

Prior to 1951 it was an orchard, while in 1951 the Golden Harvest apple processing facility was built on the site which continued to operate until 1961.