The RSL Armadale sub-branch will see the relocation of their delivery access, following a council decision at last month’s meeting.
Council carried a motion 14-0 to replace the taxi rank outside the Jull Street Mall with the RSL’s loading bay.
“The geometry of this bay is similar to the bay proposed by MetCONNX and would require minimal civil modifications and no tree removal,” the city said.
“However, this location is approximately 150 to 200 metres from the RSL and suppliers would have to transport the delivered goods this distance to access the facility.
“No consultation has been conducted with the taxi companies who operate from this location; however, this could be completed if this option is preferred by council.”
The city said the Armadale RSL had informally used adjacent land in the rail reserve to receive their deliveries.
“With the upgrades to Armadale station and associated bus infrastructure, the land has been repurposed into a station forecourt and the loading area is no longer available,” the city said.
Byford-based construction company MetCONNX consulted with stakeholders about loading bay options earlier this year.
“They investigated and assessed seven alternative options as part of the design development phase,” the city said.
“Due to road safety issues or concerns from the Public Transport Authority (PTA), six of the seven options were assessed as unviable.
“City staff have also investigated other alternative locations; however, these are not acceptable to the PTA or RSL.
“Throughout the investigation process, a goal of city staff has been to prioritise options which also preserve the tree canopy with the central business district.”
Council’s decision comes despite the city receiving a request to relocate the access point immediately outside the sub-branch, according to the meeting documents.
The meeting agenda said the request would have involved the removal of one mature spotted gum, valued at $12,803.40.
“The installation of a loading bay immediately adjacent to the RSL on Commerce Avenue would offer the most convenient option for the RSL to accept deliveries from their suppliers, and could be promptly delivered by MetCONNX as part of their project works,” the document said.
“This would achieve a prompt resolution to the RSL’s concerns around the provision of a loading bay.
“Whilst there is a tree removal required, which would remove canopy from the streetscape, the offset planting proposed of advanced replacements would have positive impacts to the pedestrians moving around the local area.”
Armadale RSL declined to comment.
Photographs – Cindy Cartojano.
