Helenburgh’s Blackwell family may get a two-week extension to scale back business operations at their Walker St property if Wollongong councillors take the advice of council staff.
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The Blackwells, who operate Blackwell Bros Building and Landscape Supplies at 159 Walker St, were ordered two months ago to reduce the scope and footprint of their earthmoving business after a council investigation in early 2011 found the family’s business operations had extended beyond the use and size of what had been approved for the site in 1984.
The council warned the Blackwells it would take legal action if they failed to comply with the council order.
However, a report to next Monday’s council meeting said the family should be given an extra two weeks to scale back operations.
Council staff said lawyers representing the Blackwells had written to the council seeking an extension until July 30 due to wet weather, limited manpower and the fact that the family’s alternative work site at Kembla Grange was not yet ready.
The extra time would also allow the family to submit a revised, more detailed development modification request for the Walker St property.
A previous application was knocked back after council staff deemed it too light on information.
In making the recommendation, council staff cited the effort the family had already made to comply with the scale-back order.
‘‘While an inspection by council officers on July 10, 2012, revealed not all operations had been completely scaled back to that within the scope of the current development consent, there has been a significant reduction in the activities,’’ the council report said, adding all processing activities on adjoining land had ceased and stockpiles of material had been removed.
Two demountable buildings on the site are awaiting relocation, according to the council report. The Blackwells are also the subject of separate action being taken against them by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority.
The EPA has issued two clean-up notices to the family, ordering them to reduce the quantity of material on the site to under a 2500-tonne or 2500-cubic metre threshhold (whichever is less).
The EPA has refused to say how much material it found on the site. Councillors will vote on Monday.