A DEVELOPMENT application currently simmering quietly with Great Lakes Council is fuelling noise amongst Great Lakes residents.
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The proposal submitted by Woolworths is for one of their petrol stations in Tuncurry.
Woolworths outlets are supplied by Caltex, and locals are concerned that adding yet another major outlet to what appears to be a non-competitive fuel environment in Forster will only exacerbate the town’s high petrol prices, doing nothing to help drive them down.
Like many major outlets, Woolworths’ fuel is not priced locally, and decisions are made according to proximity to highways, other fuel stations, population, transport, profit margins locally and elsewhere, and more. But importantly, along with suppliers, the National Roads and Motoring Association (NRMA) says it’s the competitive pressure from the independents that can really play a part in keeping fuel prices down.
As a result, the Woolworths’ proposal has raised the wrath of more than just one resident, with concerns that if approved the new Woolworths petrol station will absorb its market share at the expense of including a new independent supplier in a town already paying far more for fuel than it should.
A Facebook site called ‘Say No To Woolworths Petrol’ set up by Tuncurry’s Paul Van Drunen has attracted 319 likes at the time of printing, as well as a television news report. Mr Van Drunen said the page is an attempt to raise the community’s voice in what he says is a very under-publicised process. He has also contacted the federal member for Paterson Bob Baldwin with his concerns.
A recent renegotiation between Caltex and Woolworths means that by the end of fiscal 2015, Woolworths petrol discounts across Australia will be redeemable at about 100 Caltex-operated ‘Star Mart’ sites, and at more than 500 Woolworths-operated sites, compared with 633 in 2014.
A spokesperson for Woolworths said that the company holds a lease agreement over the proposed Tuncurry site, which, once built, would offer the full range of petrol services. She confirmed the development application had been lodged and is currently available for public comment at Great Lakes Council, which reopens on January 5.
Great Lakes Council, currently closed for holidays, was unavailable for comment, and a brief search on their website was unable to locate Woolworth’s publicly available development application. However the closing day for public feedback on the submission is reportedly January 10, after which amendments to the exhibited proposal may be made by council as a result of any public submissions.
