The United Petroleum, which would include a small convenience store, a Pie Face outlet, three bowsers, toilets and 10 parking spaces, would replace the Mobil service station demolished in 2006, opposite Aldi. 

According to council staff, the application was delayed due to concerns about delivery vehicles leaving the site being unable to see traffic on Peisley Street.

The plan was redesigned to make the access points perpendicular to the boundary, improving sightlines to traffic using the inside lane.

The site’s listing on the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) contaminated lands register also delayed the plans because excavation had the potential to disrupt previous remediation and no remediation report was submitted to the council or the EPA until June last year.

The council asked for further information on whether the site would be safe to use once construction was complete.

A consultant found the hydrocarbons in the soil and groundwater did not pose an unacceptable risk to human health. 

However, all soil would have to be disposed of properly after excavation, the business would have to monitor for leaks due to the shallow depth of the water table and all stormwater would have to be treated on site. 

Provided the fuel price signage is cut to six metres, parking design rearranged and landscaping changed to include frost-tolerant species, staff have recommended approval. 

The site had a modern design, three-storey office and retail building approved in 2006, but the project never proceeded.