Ballarat’s south could soon be home to two more fast food restaurants after a planning application was lodged with the Ballarat City Council earlier this week.
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The application lodged by the Bentley Property Group for 728-736 Geelong Road, Canadian proposes to establish a service station flanked by two drive-thru fast food outlets.
The proposal suggests developing a 120 square metre fast food space alongside the service station as well as a larger 273sqm restaurant north of the site.
The application will be required to be advertised before getting the green light from council.
South Ward councillor Ben Taylor said it was not the role of council to judge developments based on their food offerings.
“When it comes to issues like this it’s a business decision based on market research and us as councillors and council planners are only looking at the application, not what food they’ve got,” Cr Taylor said. “For a councillor to say I don’t want it because its junk food is not a reasonable decision to make.”
While the application does not stipulate which fast food restaurants would be built along Geelong Road, the property group has KFC, Hungry Jack’s, Subway Sandwiches, Crust Pizza an Pizza Hut as tenants elsewhere in the state.
The group has also developed service stations for BP and United Petroleum. All up the development would take in 3701sqm on the Sovereign Hill side of Geelong Road.
The proposed development is one of a number of fast food restaurants planned for the south of Ballarat alongside new service stations.
A Hungry Jacks is expected to be built on the old Globe Hotel site on the corner of Rubicon and Skipton streets in Sebastopol alongside a BP service station, while another fast food outlet is likely to be built next to the 7/11 service station on Hertford Street.
The original planning permit for the 7/11 on the corner of Hertford and Albert streets had an allocated space for a fast food restaurant and is expected to be sold in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile another service station is also under construction further along Albert Street.
Fellow South Ward councillor Jim Rinaldi said the application was a sign of the city’s continued growth, particularly in the southern and western suburbs.
“That area is growing pretty fast so you have to cater for all of people’s needs whether it’s fast food, a supermarket or any other type of venue,” Cr Rinaldi said.
“There’s also no fuel on that side of the road to Buninyong.
“It gives people more choices and business is always welcome.”
The Courier contacted Bentley Property Group for comment.
