10 April 2013

Abandoned petrol stations, won't somebody think of the children?

| Barcham
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lyneham

Member for Molonglo Giulia Jones is planning on raising the pressing issue of the intense dangers of unused petrol stations today to the ACT Legislative Assembly.

Jones is scared that these abandoned buildings are causing stress and concern for local communities, which is brilliant. The only thing more pointless than stressing over an unused petrol station, is stressing over the possibility that others may stress over an unused petrol station.

Well done Jones.

“Abandoned petrol station sites at the heart of our local communities not only attract graffiti but also shame and embarrassment about how our local communities look,” Mrs Jones said today.

“Some of these sites have been left derelict for over a decade, and I question whether the Government is focused on ensuring these sites remain useful for the community.

“I have had many constituents raise with me their desire to see these sites redeveloped and today I will call on the government to release information to the community about what is being done to remedy the situation.

“Canberra parents want to be able to raise their children in clean and organised communities and the elderly want to feel pride in communities they have worked hard to develop, but these sites have become an eye sore and residents have had enough,” Mrs Jones concluded.

It’s nice to know Jones is keeping her gaze eyes on the big issues.

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Pitchka said :

zorro29 said :

but i really do hate abandoned petrol stations. they do attract a slacker
also #eyesore

Zombies love abandoned servos.

damn right! i didn’t see that mentioned anywhere and is a pressing concern!

Spitfire3 said :

Of course there’s more petrol stations in Kambah. Burnouts don’t grow on trees you know.

True, but I’ve seen a few burnouts end at trees!

Spitfire3 said :

Of course there’s more petrol stations in Kambah. Burnouts don’t grow on trees you know.

Wait wait wait. People in Kambah pay for petrol? I thought they just stole it cause the dole isn’t enough to cover ciggies, beer, junkfood for your little rats AND petrol. Gotta skimp on something.

Of course there’s more petrol stations in Kambah. Burnouts don’t grow on trees you know.

If people are so concerned about abandoned petrol stations & what will there children think. Come to Kambah, we have 2 petrol stations (double what the whole of Weston Creek has & 1/3 what the region of Gungahlin has). This includes one right across the road from Namadgi School, so concerned parents can show kids what a working petrol station looks like.

HiddenDragon10:05 pm 10 Apr 13

This is clearly a case of market failure, and good on Giulia with a G for drawing the matter to public attention. My modest proposal is for ACT Government sponsored servos, in partnership with our beloved and notably entrepreneurial Brumbies and Raiders (Brumbies outlets in the inner North and inner South, Raiders for the boonies), staffed by wholesome, athletic young men attired in short shorts – which should, amongst other things, provide enough photo-opportunities to ensure bipartisan support and generous public funding.

FioBla said :

Skidd Marx said :

Please add “somebody think of the children” to the ever-growing list of tired memes.

NAMBLA: always thinking…

I’d forgotten all about NAMBLA. Was that in a South Park episode?

“First world problem”, “Suck it up, princess” et al should be immediately banned as a response on RA. Not sure if “Won’t somebody think of the children” has quite reached that stage yet.

Considering it costs an absolute fortune to decontaminate a servo site and many years before it can be used for another purpose, is it any wonder there are a bunch of them sitting vacant. The issue isn’t limited to Canberra either, there have been sites waiting for remediation in almost every town and city I’ve lived in.

Tetranitrate9:11 pm 10 Apr 13

Rollersk8r said :

Yeah – heaven forbid a local politician points out an actual local problem. You’re honestly saying decaying eyesores are too petty an issue for her to raise?? What do you think her job is? What should she be doing? Negotiating with North Korea??

She has a point. The Giralang shops site, for example, has been a fenced off disgrace for 8 years. It is shameful and it does impact the whole suburb.

It’s been a whole decade now effectively – there was a fairly long period where the only thing open was the Vietnamese restaurant and everything else was fenced off.

Rollersk8r said :

Yeah – heaven forbid a local politician points out an actual local problem. You’re honestly saying decaying eyesores are too petty an issue for her to raise?? What do you think her job is? What should she be doing? Negotiating with North Korea??

She has a point. The Giralang shops site, for example, has been a fenced off disgrace for 8 years. It is shameful and it does impact the whole suburb.

Damn. You beat me to it. I agree 100%. I live just around the corner from that urban blight, and I’d like to find and beat the mongrels responsible for it. This is the national capital of Australia, and my family and I have to live next to something that looks like it belongs in outer Absurdistan.

Skidd Marx said :

Please add “somebody think of the children” to the ever-growing list of tired memes.

Personally, I think complaining about the ever growing list of tired internet memes sounds like a first world problem. Perhaps it should be added to the list of internet memes.

Bwaaahahahahahaha……..:-)

Oh God we’re giving Simon “Call-In” Corbell ideas surely. Shhhh!

Skidd Marx said :

Please add “somebody think of the children” to the ever-growing list of tired memes.

NAMBLA: always thinking…

Please add “somebody think of the children” to the ever-growing list of tired memes.

schmeah said :

…The urge to shield my eyes from this decay has become so great a burden I am now forced to stay indoors full time.

And you’re not even safe there now thanks to Barcham posting images of said decay on RIOTACT.

Good to see Guilia has employed someone to proof her press releases before she unleashes them on the unsuspecting and fragile community. Still, even this effort is pretty shambolic …”attract graffiti but also shame and embarrassment about how our local communities look” ..

I feel gut-wrenching shame for my community when I see abandoned petrol stations. The urge to shield my eyes from this decay has become so great a burden I am now forced to stay indoors full time.

Holden Caulfield3:28 pm 10 Apr 13

I’d much rather the Lyneham servo was still in operation. I now have to go all the way to Braddon or Dickson for fuel.

Help me Giulia with a G, you’re my only hope.

Rollersk8r said :

Yeah – heaven forbid a local politician points out an actual local problem. You’re honestly saying decaying eyesores are too petty an issue for her to raise?? What do you think her job is? What should she be doing? Negotiating with North Korea??

She has a point. The Giralang shops site, for example, has been a fenced off disgrace for 8 years. It is shameful and it does impact the whole suburb.

She should be introducing more human rights legislation, installing copius amounts of public art and being a crusader for disabled lesbian aboriginal single mothers.

Rollersk8r said :

Yeah – heaven forbid a local politician points out an actual local problem. You’re honestly saying decaying eyesores are too petty an issue for her to raise?? What do you think her job is? What should she be doing? Negotiating with North Korea??

She has a point. The Giralang shops site, for example, has been a fenced off disgrace for 8 years. It is shameful and it does impact the whole suburb.

Just so long as her solution isn’t to fast track changes to the acceptable land use. If it isn’t viable to run a petrol station, surely there is some other business which can be run there? If not, I’m sure that the ACT community will benefit from the value of the land when the owner (who is unable to use it for anything) surrenders it…

Yeah – heaven forbid a local politician points out an actual local problem. You’re honestly saying decaying eyesores are too petty an issue for her to raise?? What do you think her job is? What should she be doing? Negotiating with North Korea??

She has a point. The Giralang shops site, for example, has been a fenced off disgrace for 8 years. It is shameful and it does impact the whole suburb.

zorro29 said :

but i really do hate abandoned petrol stations. they do attract a slacker
also #eyesore

Zombies love abandoned servos.

I had a friend who stepped on a carelessly abandoned used petrol station, she got instantly hooked and caught AIDS from using an old coles discount docket. She is now dead and on hooked on methadone.

What if a kid had found it?

poetix said :

lest she see something that is not ‘clean and organised’.

I’m assuming you’re referring to the Raiders’ emblem graffiti on the roller door?

lol, i know everyone is being sarcastic about this (#2 made me giggle)…but i really do hate abandoned petrol stations. they do attract a slacker element and increased graffiti and so on. they should get rid of the sites faster…

also #eyesore

ToastFliesRED2:03 pm 10 Apr 13

$360k being asked for a 1 bed 1 bath unit on the site of the old Lyons servo still up for sale on allhomes http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/act/sale-residential/18-devonport-street-lyons-canberra/1316814143111

poetix said :

Yes, every day I shield my daughter’s eyes from the appalling edifice that is the abandoned Lyneham service station, lest she see something that is not ‘clean and organised’.

Like multi storey units built by my friends?

Yes, every day I shield my daughter’s eyes from the appalling edifice that is the abandoned Lyneham service station, lest she see something that is not ‘clean and organised’.

Tetranitrate1:12 pm 10 Apr 13

pierce said :

Is that a Liberal politician insisting that the state dictate to the owners of private property what they do with their land?

Hope so – if you don’t use it, you ought to lose it.

Is that a Liberal politician insisting that the state dictate to the owners of private property what they do with their land?

The problem is, most of the servos closed because they were not viable commercial entities. Many of them (at least around Weston Creek – Rivett, Chapman, Duffy) are ready for redevelopment but on hold until they get enough presales from buyers looking for a 2-bedroom apartment in a cramped boxy development, starting from as little as $550,000! In some cases, banks are requiring 100% presales before they’ll agree to loan money for such a project.

Thank god! This has been worrying me for so long. I’ve had to take stress leave from work and am constantly kept awake at night thinking about it.
Good to know Giulia is dealing with my deep concerns. Other community issues that politicians are elected to work through aren’t important right now…. just so long as the abandoned petrol stations are taken care of.
Problem solved.

Of course, were the government to issue a decision that no current petrol station site would *ever* be re zoned for residential use, I suspect this frequent co-occurrence of decades long vacancies would probably cease.

At the moment, the loss made in missed rent on a vacant block is quickly recouped when you eventually get development of a residential building approved…

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