Afuel company has had a change of heart and wants to erect a manned service station near the George Street roundabout in Millicent.
The original Perrys approved proposal included the provision of underground fuel storage tanks, a canopy over the proposed refuelling area with a height of 6.8m, a price-board to advertise the fuel available and on-site car parking.
The facility was to be unmanned.
However, a fresh application was submitted to the planning authorities this month with provision for a control room and convenience store as well as car parking changes.
Public comment will be invited on the application.
Perrys had lodged its application for a fuel outlet in 2021 on a vacant block of land at the corner of Adelaide and Cattle Bridge roads and adjoining Apex Park.
The former railway land was owned by the State Government and had been listed for sale for some time.
Acting in a private capacity, some Wattle Range Council elected members unsuccessfully challenged the Perrys application for a fuel outlet citing traffic movement concerns and the location adjoining parklands.
The only on-site action since Perrys was granted approval has been the removal of three large pine trees.
Millicent only has two other fuel outlets and both are owned by the same company.
K&S currently operates the 24-hour Caltex service station at the intersection of Williams and Mount Gambier roads at Billygoat Corner and also the Ampol servo on Adelaide Road.
Meanwhile, the site has been cleared for the multi-million-dollar makeover of the Ampol service station and bulk fuel depot at Billygoat Corner.
Owned by Kain and Shelton Pty Ltd, all buildings, canopies, underground tanks and pumps on the Billygoat Corner site will be demolished and replaced with new structures including charging points for electric vehicles.
The new facility will have 17 car parks and extensive landscaping.
Kain and Shelton Pty. Ltd is a subsidiary of the K&S Corporation which is a public company headquartered in Melbourne.
According to its latest annual report, the significant shareholders include members of the family of late Mount Gambier businessman Allan Scott who bought a significant share of the fuel and transport business in the 1970s.
K&S Corporation chairman Tony Johnson hinted at the Millicent project in his 2024 annual report.
“The fuel trading business has provided strong financial results on stable revenues in 2023/24,” Mr Johnson said.
“The fuel retailing and wholesaling markets remain dynamic and continue to exhibit high levels of competition.
“We are currently undertaking several projects to expand both our retail and wholesale offering, including the redevelopment of several company owned sites and the purchase of new sites.”
The K&S Corporation purchased the freehold from Wattle Range Council in 2021 of the service station on Adelaide Road, Millicent.
There are two other service station developments in Millicent at present.
The one-time Turner’s Roadhouse on Mount Gambier Road changed hands last year.
It last operated as a service station in 2011 and its underground fuel tanks remain intact.
However, it is understood the new local owner has no interest in using it as a retail fuel site.
A company associated with the On the Run chain submitted plans in 2022 to develop a service station at the Billygoat Corner site it has owned since 2015.
The site has been cleared of all structures but no other obvious action has taken place on-site.
