FOR years, the vacant block on the corner of Wood and Wallace St has remained an eyesore.

With smashed windows and a trashed interior, the former servo and bus station is set to become a bottle shop, but not without its fair share of obstacles.

Director of Prentice Properties and owner of the block Tony Prentice said he had been in a constant tug of war with the Department of Main Roads and Transport to get the job under way, but assured the Daily News it will be soon.

"The main thing is getting approval from Main Roads and we haven't had full approval yet, but it's looking positive," Mr Prentice said.

His plans were delayed by conditions set forward by Main Roads, claiming the corner would need widening to cater for the extra traffic, with Mr Prentice told he must foot the bill.

"They wanted us to pay for the roadworks, but now it looks like we've reached a more simple plan," he said.

Mr Prentice said he will know more about the progression by the end of the month.

Across the road, Jason Rhodes, owner of Affordable Cars and Commercials, said he was sick of looking at a run-down site and looked forward to the building getting under way.

He said it detracted from the beauty of the town and put a bad image in the minds of visitors.

"It deters tourists and people travelling through and it looks like a drop-in centre," Mr Rhodes said.

Being one of the first things people see as they drive into the Rose City, Mr Rhodes thinks it is in need of a tidy-up.

"It's the main entrance of the town from the southern end, so it would be great to have another business across the road," he said yesterday.

Further down the highway, a bottle shop proposed to be built in the vicinity of the BP service station and tackle shop remains .

With only a wall of internal shelving in place, the development has not progressed and many locals are wondering if it ever will.

Tenant for the building, Gary Watt declined to comment when the Daily News asked for an update on the construction.