Goulburn Engineering principal Rob Wallace stands on a road reserve that until recently he did not know existed. He leases land at the rear, but part of the site is a road reserve used for storing materials and unloading trucks. Photos: John Thistleton.
Rob Wallace spends much of his day solving other people’s problems. A fitter and turner in Goulburn, he has several hundred people, ranging from farmers, manufacturers and miners, who depend on him and his employees to solve their problems with machinery and equipment.
For example, a broken shaft from a machine that mulches green material for waste manager Veolia at Tarago had to be repaired on the Friday of this interview. Boral was expecting its urgent repair job to be completed by the following Monday for its mining operations at Marulan South. All the jobs are urgent.
“It’s like this every day,” Rob said.
His father, Bob Wallace, established the business, Goulburn Engineering, in 1946 in Auburn Street.
The workshop relocated a couple of times and was established in its present site in North Street in 1968. Two years later, Rob began his apprenticeship. The business has flourished ever since, earning a reputation for doing a range of work, from the small, fiddly jobs to major repairs and creating innovative solutions.
But one problem that came out of nowhere earlier this year has him stumped. A parcel of land out the back of the workshop, used for storing equipment and accessing the business, is an extension of North Street.
Rob was unaware of this until a fresh survey was done, triggered by a developer lodging plans for 30 single-bedroom units a block away in Bradley Street. Under the plans, the units will be accessed from the rear, via an extension to North Street, largely occupied by Rob’s business.
When Goulburn Mulwaree Council recommended refusing the proposed development on several grounds, the developer withdrew the development application (DA). So Rob made an offer to the council to buy the land in question. He obtained a valuation that says it’s worth $33,000.
However, the developer has returned with modified plans to redevelop 61-63 Bradley Street and provide access from North Street. A co-living development is proposed, consisting of 27 units across the first and second floors and a small coffee shop on the ground floor. Car parking is provided on the ground floor, with 14 spaces.
Rob says if the council agrees to sell him the land, he could maintain his access and continue his business.
“I don’t know what to do. I thought if we could stop it [the development], I would be right,” he said. “I knew they [the developer] would either come back or they would sell the site. It looks as if they are going to keep going with it.”
Every job is urgent. Rob Wallace takes a break from repairing a drive shaft needed for a green-waste mulching machine. The job is one of many varied tasks needed to keep industry moving in Goulburn.
The latest DA is now under consideration for approval. If it proceeds, Goulburn Engineering has an uncertain future.
“I don’t know how we can continue in the way we are,” Rob said. “You won’t be able to get steel trucks in, you won’t be able to move.”
The developer has not discussed the project with Rob but addresses the rear access issue in planning documents supporting the DA.
Aware of trucks, including B-doubles, making deliveries to Goulburn Engineering via North Street and Taylor Street (which runs off North Street), the proponent says there is a clear view from the site of any B-double parked in part of North Street, while unloading or loading.
The developer proposes that other vehicles arriving to enter the new development can park while the truck is being loaded or unloaded.
“Clear sight lines are available of the area such that a B-double truck is visible to motorists using these two-way streets. (They) could legally park their vehicles in the existing parking in North Street and Taylor Street whilst loading and unloading is completed,” the document supporting the DA says.
A Bradley Street resident, Scott Keys, who is among neighbouring residents opposed to the unit development, says parking to await a truck unloading is not always an option.
“What if an emergency vehicle, like the police or fire brigade, needs to access the site?” he said.
A social impact statement supporting the development says the proposal responds to a growing need for more diverse, flexible and inclusive housing options, particularly for individuals seeking short- to medium-term accommodation.
