Court rules on fate of Widgee Engineering

The embattled Gympie business’s five-and-a-half-year fight to stay at its home of almost three decades has finally come to an end

Widgee Engineering owners Di and Pete Saal have been given approval to stay at their rural home of alomst 30 yers following a five-year-long battle involving Gympie regional Council and the state’s Planning and Environment Court.

Widgee Engineering's five-and-a-half-year fight to stay at its Upper Widgee Road home of almost 30 years has finally ended with the company given permission to stay by the state's Planning and Environment court.

The ruling brings and end to a battle which the company had been engaged in since 2015, first with Gympie Regional Council and then in the courts.

Widgee Engineering owner Di Saal said on Friday that the saga cost her and husband Peter about $600,000.

They had been forced to apply to the council for development approval when the council, having received a complaint, raised concerns the business had grown well beyond what it was legally allowed.

In 2017 the company was given two years to move or shut down when councillors voted five-to-three to refuse the application.

The decision sparked enormous community backlash including public meetings, calls for a public inquiry, and a petition bearing more than 2000 signatures.

Peter Saal, Malcolm Biegel and Di Saal celebrate their win in April 2018 when councillors voted six-to-two to approve their development application.

Councillors subsequently approved a second development application by a six-to-two vote in front of a packed and tense public gallery of more than 100 people.

Four months later Widgee residents Frederick William Pukallus, and Constance Ann Hobbs appealed the council's decision.

Early this month Judge Michael Rackemann allowed the couple's appeal but ordered a revised development application be approved for the engineering firm, allowing it to stay.

Each party must pay their own costs.

Widgee’s Anna Hobbs-Pukallus and Bill Pukallus appealed the council’s decision in August 2018.

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Mrs Saal said the matter could have avoided ever ending up in the courts if the council had worked with them more than three years ago.

"We were more than happy to work with them," Mrs Saal said.

"They kept changing the goalposts."

With the matter now resolved she said it was "onwards and upwards" for the company which recently landed a large job in Paget, in Mackay.

Mrs Hobbs said on Friday she and her husband were "delighted" the court upheld their appeal.

"We're equally delighted Widgee Engineering now has to comply with the conditions approved within 12 months," she said.

"These are a significant increase on what the council first approved."

Mayor Glen Hartwig is pleased the matter is now finished and the council and Widgee Engineering can move forward.

Almost 50 conditions have been placed on the business as part of the new development approval.

These include restrictions on open hours, noise limits and the need to upgrade part of Upper Widgee Road.

Mayor Glen Hartwig said it was great the matter was finally finished.

"It's not one of the better moments in the history of Gympie Regional Council," Mr Hartwig said.

"It will be great to have it behind us."

He said the company could now move on to focusing on growing the region's job numbers.

Originally published as Court rules on fate of Widgee Engineering