Why the Widgee Engineering saga is still not over

The matter was back before the Planning and Environment Court early this month

Peter Saal, Malcolm Biegel and Di Saal’s victory celebration following a 2018 council decision to let the company stay on Upper Widgee Rd has been drawn out by an appeal against the decision now in its second year.

A CAP on on-site employees and noise monitoring at Gympie Regional Council’s request are some of the conditions still under dispute as Widgee Engineering’s fight to stay at its home of 25 years continues.

Documents lodged with the Planning and Environment Court reveal there are still eight development conditions being hashed out as part of the appeal process.

These include no more than 20 employees being allowed on the site at any time, and the company must compile a noise report within two weeks of the council receiving any complaint.

A cap of on-site staff numbers and noise reports are but two of eight conditions still being disputed in the Planning and Environment Court.

A section of Upper Widgee Rd would also need to be widened to two lanes under the proposed conditions.

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The parties are also disputing a nine month time limit to be imposed on 15 of the proposed conditions.

The matter was back before the Planning and Environment Court early this month.

Appellants Frederick William Pukallus and Constance Ann Hobbes were required to tell the court their position on the proposed conditions by last week.

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

Gympie Regional Council now has until next week to file and serve its list of grounds on which it contends the conditions under dispute should be imposed.

Widgee Engineering must provide an amended list of grounds for why the disputed conditions should be set aside.

They must all then engage in another “without prejudice” meeting before returning to the court once more on October 23.

The fight has been ongoing for more than two years.

The company was first ordered to move by the council in 2017, then allowed to stay following a second application in April 2018.

This decision was then appealed in August of that year.

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