A petrol station is on fire and homes are under threat from a bushfire raging in Perth's north.

Panel not United over Neerabup servo bushfire fears

Lucy JarvisWanneroo Times

A FUEL company has received conditional approval to redevelop a service station after addressing concerns it was in a bushfire prone area.

The Metro Outer Development Assessment Panel approved United’s plans to demolish its Neerabup fuel station and rebuild it at a January 14 meeting.

The panel had originally deferred making a decision on the $2.1 million development proposal last July because of concerns it was a high risk land use in a bushfire prone area.

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The City of Wanneroo recommended refusal again at the January meeting based on previous advice from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services that the bushfire attack level (BAL) rating was too high.

Representatives for the applicant argued however that the concerns were based on an old bushfire management plan and submitted a modified plan to address those issues.

At the meeting, City staff said the modified plan had been referred to DFES in early January and they expected its response by early February.

The revised plan drew the retail building, canopy structures and tank filling point into areas with BAL-12.5 to BAL-29 ratings, avoiding the higher risk flame zone and BAL-40 areas.

It said low threat landscaping would be used and there would be a dedicated 10,000L water tank for firefighting purposes on the site.

In response to a DFES request, the plan also provided more information about existing vegetation in the area, including on verges and in Neerabup National Park.

Wanneroo councillors Frank Cvitan and Vinh Nguyen initially tried to defer the decision a second time until the City received DFES’s response, but the three specialist panel members voted against the procedural motion.

Instead, they and Cr Cvitan agreed to grant approval with one of the conditions requiring the bushfire management plan to be finalised to the City’s satisfaction based on DFES advice.

They also asked the applicant to fix discrepancies in the plans relating to the truck bowser canopy and location of the filling point, which appeared to be in a flame zone in the diagrams.

Cr Cvitan said while it was common to build fuel stations in rural areas in the past, it had become a bigger safety concern recently, as seen when a Yanchep fuel station was burnt during the December 2019 bushfires.

DFES confirmed it was assessing the bushfire management plan, with a response expected by February.

An aerial view of the United fuel station site showing bushfire attack level ratings.
Camera IconAn aerial view of the United fuel station site showing bushfire attack level ratings. Credit: Xero Fire