A NEIGHBOURING property owner of the proposed Taco Bell site in Bathurst says they are "totally opposed" to the plans that have been put forward.
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McDuck Properties, on behalf of Taco Bell, submitted a development application (DA) to Bathurst Regional Council last month proposing to build the fast-food restaurant across two blocks, 103 and 105 Stewart Street, at a cost of $1.45 million.
In a submission to council, the neighbouring property owner, who can't be named, has listed a range of issues they've found with the proposed development and said it is causing "angst and anxiety" among residents of the unit complex at 101 Stewart Street.
"The development project is incompatible with the surrounding residential properties and will have a negative impact on environmental standards and property value," they said.
The neighbour said they have doubts that the all of the documentation prepared for the DA was done with Bathurst in mind, as there are several references to Tamworth Regional Council and its planning controls in the Statement of Environmental Effects (SoEE).
"This suggests that the document was initially prepared for Tamworth Regional Council," they said.
"It indicates that the submission, or parts thereof, is not relevant to the proposed development. The complete document could be compromised."
The Western Advocate contacted McDuck Properties' Hector Abbott about the references to Tamworth Regional Council.
He said the references were a "drafting error", but the Taco Bell development has been planned to suit Bathurst.
Another error the neighbouring property owner noted in her submission was the hours of operation, as there are three different times mentioned throughout the SoEE.
Mr Abbott acknowledged these errors and said the correct version is on page 11, which states the hours of operation would be 10am to 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
He said the errors will be changed in the SoEE and a new version of the document would be provided to Bathurst council on Wednesday (December 18).
With regards to the development itself, the neighbour feels that there would be a significant increase in noise that will affect properties, their's in particular, once Taco Bell is operational.
They said they could see no evidence that an acoustic fence would suffice in reducing noise.
Mr Abbott said the acoustic report supplied with the DA addressed noise and the recommendations made within that "are designed to ensure noise emissions are within acceptable leq noise level".
The neighbour is also concerned about potential noise, dirt, dust and privacy during the construction phase of the proposed development and said this isn't addressed within the DA.
In response to this concern, Mr Abbott said these were not addressed in the DA as it would be up to council to impose certain conditions when a construction certificate is applied for.
"That process comes after the DA," he said.
In addition to these major concerns, the neighbour is also worried about odours from cooking, garbage and vehicles, as well as the potential increase of traffic and impact on smooth traffic flow around the site.
The DA for Taco Bell is expected to go before council for determination sometime in early to mid 2020.
