A scaled-back pylon sign proposed for a service station in Yandina has been given the green light by Sunshine Coast Council, months after community members raised concerns about its size and impact on the town’s heritage character.
The development permit for operational work to install one freestanding advertising device at the corner of Stevens and Farrell streets was approved with conditions on June 1, with the decision notice issued on June 8.
The application was lodged by Pearl Pacific Properties Pty Ltd through Urban Planet Town Planning Consultants, with the sign forming part of the service station development currently under construction on the site.
The service station was approved by the Planning and Environment Court in 2023 after council initially refused the broader development in 2021.
The pylon sign’s approval follows objections raised earlier this year by the Yandina and District Community Association (YADCA), which argued the original six-metre-high pylon sign would dominate the town’s heritage streetscape and be out of character with the area.
Council’s assessment report noted the applicant reduced its height to five metres during the assessment process, while retaining a maximum sign face area of 10sqm.
The approved plans require the sign to be set back at least one metre from Farrell Street.
In its assessment, council found the amended sign complied with the relevant planning scheme requirements or could be conditioned to comply.
Planners said a five-metre-high sign with a 10sqm sign face reflected the planning scheme’s deemed-to-comply standards for pylon signs and was “of a scale expected for the type of sign proposed” and consistent with the approved service station.
The report also concluded the sign would not detract from the visual amenity of the scenic route, noting there was already an existing service station with a pylon sign nearby on Farrell Street.
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Although the application was code assessable and did not require public notification, council acknowledged it received community comments raising concerns about sight lines and whether the sign would fit the character of the area.
Council concluded the sign would not obstruct pedestrian or vehicle movements, would sit outside the required sight distance triangle and would not create excessive visual clutter because it would be the only advertising device addressing Farrell Street.
Conditions of approval require the sign to advertise only goods and services available on the site, prohibit flashing lights, require illumination to be switched off between 11pm and 5am, and stipulate the approval will lapse if the associated service station ceases operating or changes to a differently named operator.
