Geoff Helisma | How traffic will be managed at the intersection of Yamba Road and Treelands Drive has long been a contentious issue: the answer to this question is likely to be answered at the August Clarence Valley Council (CVC) meeting. Meanwhile, a draft voluntary planning agreement (VPA) between the developer of a proposed service station at the intersection, Clarence Property Corporation Limited, the land owner, The Trust Company (Australia) Limited, and CVC is on exhibition – submissions close at 4pm, August 3. At the July 2017 CVC meeting, councillors approved a development application to construct the service station, with a condition that included a VPA “for the design & construction of the intersection treatment”. However, whether that will be a roundabout or traffic lights is not yet known. A report to yesterday’s Corporate, Governance & Works Committee staff advised that the “assessment of the intersection and recommendation of suitable treatments, together with costs, is well advanced” and that “final analysis, including all information …. [will] be reported to the August 2018 council meeting”. The council engaged Planit Engineering to assess “viable options for the upgrade of the intersection to meet predicted traffic flows over a 30 year period (to 2048), specifically including options of a roundabout and a signalised intersection”. The VPA’s objectives include ensuring the development “contributes in an equitable manner” towards the upgrade “to service the increase in traffic”. The developer will contribute eight per cent of the total cost of upgrading the intersection. The VPA “promotes the public interest by providing certainty on the available funding for the future intersection” upgrade, it states. The VPA, which includes the part dedication of land necessary for the intersection upgrade, can be viewed at CVC customer service centres.