THE WRONG DEVELOPMENT FOR TODAY'S SOUTH MELBOURNE

We call on the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Port Phillip to reject the proposed service station development on Kings Way.

This campaign is not opposed to development.

Nor are we opposed to service stations.

Our concern is straightforward: this proposal is in the wrong location and presents unacceptable impacts for our community.

Over the past three decades, South Melbourne has changed dramatically.

Thousands of people now live in apartments and townhouses surrounding this site. Families walk these streets every day. Children ride scooters to local parks. Cyclists and pedestrians move through the area constantly.

A service station may once have been appropriate on this site.

It is not appropriate today.

• Safety must come first

Kings Way is already one of inner Melbourne's busiest and most heavily trafficked roads.

Residents are concerned that this proposal will introduce additional vehicle movements into an already complex traffic environment and increase interactions between cars, fuel tankers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The proposal also has the potential to increase congestion on surrounding local streets, including Bank Street and Fitzpatrick Street, affecting the safety and amenity of residents and road users.

For a neighbourhood that is becoming increasingly residential, these concerns cannot be ignored.

• The neighbourhood has changed

The site is now surrounded by significantly more homes and residents than when the previous service station operated.

South Melbourne has evolved into a dense, mixed-use residential community. Planning decisions should reflect the neighbourhood that exists today — not the neighbourhood that existed decades ago.

Residents expect development decisions to support the long-term vision for a safer, more liveable and people-focused community.

• Limited community benefit

There is already an operating service station less than 50 metres from the proposed site, on the same side of Kings Way.

Residents question whether the limited additional convenience offered by a second service station in virtually the same location justifies the additional impacts on local residents and road users.

This proposal appears to deliver minimal new public benefit while introducing significant concerns regarding amenity, neighbourhood character and liveability.

Amenity and environmental concerns

Residents are also concerned about:

• noise impacts, particularly during early morning and late-night operations;
• light spill affecting neighbouring homes;
• air quality impacts and petrol fumes;
• contamination and site remediation risks;
• impacts on mature trees and neighbourhood character.

THIS DECISION MATTERS

The City of Port Phillip has consistently championed safer streets, walkable neighbourhoods, sustainability and community wellbeing.

Councillors now have an important decision to make about the future character of South Melbourne.

Approving a new high-traffic service station immediately adjacent to homes would be difficult to reconcile with the strategic direction that both the community and Council have worked towards for many years.

This proposal is not simply about a single site.

It is about the future identity of South Melbourne and the type of neighbourhood we want future generations to inherit.

We ask Councillors to put community wellbeing, neighbourhood character and long-term liveability first and reject this proposal.

SIGN THE PETITION

By signing this petition, you will help demonstrate the strength of community opposition to this proposal and send a clear message to Councillors that residents expect development decisions to reflect the needs of the people who live here.

Protect your family, your neighbours and the future liveability of South Melbourne by signing today.