“Collina restaurant scrapped”

Posted: 19 Aug 2010 04:38 PM PDT

A CONTROVERSIAL development application to build a restaurant at Collina has been withdrawn after a public uproar over the proposal.

The DA, lodged by Griffith developer Zep Lanza, proposed to build a million-dollar family restaurant, with an area for live entertainment, in the heart of the residential suburb.

But with a number of residents objecting to the noise and traffic the restaurant could create in the quiet suburb, Mr Lanza decided to pull the application.

"I said in the beginning that I lodged the DA to see the public reaction," he said.

"They don't want it close to their homes and I can understand their argument. There's no point in going ahead with it if people don't want it, it would create too much negativity."

But Mr Lanza said he believed there was still a lot of potential for a family restaurant in the area so people don't have to drive into town to enjoy a nice meal.

"It's sad because a lot of people want it and it's

something that would be great for Collina," he said.

"So many people came up to me and said it was a great idea but I don't know where it could go."

Retirees Marlene and Jack Vearing, who had just finished building their home when the DA was lodged, said it was great news for them as they would have had to move had the proposal gone ahead.

"That's wonderful it's not going ahead," Mrs Vearing said.

"We would have been right in the thick of it with all the parking and the lights; it was really the last thing we needed. It's a worry off our minds now we know it's not going ahead."

Mrs Vearing said she personally didn't think the area needed a restaurant as the suburb was adequately serviced by the Driver shopping centre.

"We've got Driver and Casablanca is putting a restaurant in there anyway and you could always eat there if you didn't want to go into town," she said.

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