Tim’s Removals, Gympie council planners in lurch on Coles Creek, Qld development

A small Gympie region transport business trying to fix alleged development breaches, and the council’s own planning department have been left hanging after an extraordinary turn of events.

A small Gympie region transport business trying to fix alleged development breaches, and the council’s own planning department have been left hanging after an extraordinary turn of events the council’s latest meeting, with Mayor Glen Hartwig saying the organisation's own staff was now unable to move forward.

A small Mary Valley business owner and Gympie council’s own planning department are now in the lurch after councillors chose to sit on their hands rather than make a decision on its fate.

Councillors were asked by staff at Wednesday’s general meeting to reject the application lodged on by Ronald Noonan on behalf of Tim’s Removals and Storage at Coles Creek.

The application had been lodged by Mr Noonan after the council determined the business, now being run at the 4.4ha Carlson Rd property, was well beyond what was allowed under the land’s zoning.

The council had received complaints about land clearing and stormwater run-off, staff told the meeting.

The report presented to councillors said the land had been zoned “home occupation” by Widgee Shire Council in 1993.

This did allow for a home office to be run at the site.

During the Covid pandemic it had expanded “well beyond the scope” of what was allowed, the report said.

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Councillors’ refusal to support a motion rejecting the application, or to propose any changes to it, has left the fate of the Coles Creek business in the lurch.

The new application was seeking to formalise it as a transport depot and warehouse.

This proposed change included keeping up to three trucks and other machinery, including a specialist forklift, and 68 shipping containers at the site.

Staff recommended councillors reject the application.

They claimed it conflicted with the planning scheme, did not address environmental and land clearing concerns at the block, had no traffic report and was “likely to generate ongoing compliance issues” if it was given approval.

Councillors instead took no action at all.

The eight councillors present (Shane Waldock was absent) refused to move a motion to reject the application.

They also declined to make any new proposed motion, or amend the motion in any way.

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The council had received complaints about land clearing and stormwater run-off at the site (pictured here in 2006), staff told the meeting, and the project had expanded beyond what its “home business” zoning allowed.

Mayor Glen Hartwig was left to move on to the next item, but not without first pointing out the non-decision “makes it impossible for staff to move forward”.

“We haven’t even got an a mover on this, with no other options on this, (council staff) go away and bring another report back the same next month and it’s still not moved by council,” Mr Hartwig said.

“If there is a councillor that wishes to move an alternative motion … we can do that.”

There was not.

In response to a question on whether it could be refused by council staff as other applications are under delegation without ever going to councillors, Mr Hartwig said that step would be extraordinary.

“It’s come now, and if staff were to issue that refusal given that it was not endorsed by council it would be an interesting step to take as well … that would be a clear move away from council’s desires.

“If there is no one to move an alternative recommendation, we will move on to the next item.”

Five seconds of silence ticked by, and then Mr Hartwig moved on with the meeting with the motion lapsed and no clear indication of what happens next.

Mr Noonan’s application, which was first lodged in July 2022, remains “pending” on the council’s website.

Originally published as Tim’s Removals, Gympie council planners in lurch on Coles Creek, Qld development