Controversial project set to go ahead

Plans for a service station at the Chester Pass roundabout are set to be accepted by the City of Albany council tonight.

The proposal for the service station and lunch bar, on the corner of Chester Pass Road and Albany Highway, has generated concerns about traffic management at the notoriously busy junction.

The proposed development by Procon Developments is expected to attract more than 1000 vehicles a day and take the tally of fuel stations in the Albany area to 19.

Traffic management falls under Main Roads jurisdiction.

Main Roads has previously objected to the development, primarily on the grounds of road safety and efficiency.

However, as the project is a permitted land use, the City cannot reject it on the basis of unsuitability. If approved, it will be subject to several conditions.

The Albany Highway site has remained vacant for more than a decade.

Earlier this month, the intersection was named the sixth worst in WA and second worst in regional WA by the RAC’s Risky Roads Survey.

The five-road intersection is Albany’s busiest junction, with thousands of trucks and cars using it each day.