Plan for new service station near Green Lake gathers momentum

Construction company Metrowest has announced plans to submit an application with Horsham Rural City Council to build a 25,000 square-metre service centre on the corner of the Western Highway and One Tree Road.

The company's director Peter Breckenridge said the proposal included parking, petrol pumps, fast food outlets and fatigue management facilities. He said United would be the service station's tenant.

"We looked at a whole lot of different locations throughout Horsham and identified the site because of its natural stopping position for trucks between Melbourne and Adelaide," he said. "From a log book stop perspective, it's well-positioned.

"One of the key drivers was making sure we get the truck drivers out and give them a place to eat, relax, do their washing and get the trucks off the main street of the city. We realised when we went there at night that a lot of trucks line up and flood into town.

"If you're a truck driver coming from the Pakenham-Westernport area east of Melbourne, you've got four hours to get there and then the next stop to get to Adelaide. That's really why we picked here - in the event of any changes to log book legislation or a bypass of Horsham, we believe we are going to be well-positioned to offer something that will last into the future."

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Mr Breckenridge said the company expected the $7 million development to take between nine and 11 months, if approved, and create up to 75 new full-time and part-time jobs once it was operational.

He said residents could view Metrowest's plan at a public consultation session at the Wimmera Business Centre in Darlot Street, Horsham on Friday, October 11 from 10am until 1pm.

He expects to submit the plans to the council in coming months.

"We are trying to capture as much feedback as we can in relation to design, tenants and other offerings we might be able to put forward instead of racing ahead and lodging it," he said.

Mr Breckenridge said a highway service centre was a permitted use under Horsham Rural City Council's zoning of the area.

Metrowest's plans follow South Australian company OTR revealing in August it would open two new service stations in Horsham in December 2019 and March 2020.

Horsham Rural City Council's director of development services Angela Murphy said the council had had brief discussions with MetroWest regarding its plans.

"No planning application has been submitted yet. We look forward to seeing details of the proposal," she said.

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