SMITHFIELD BYPASS PROPERTY OWNER GETS MARCHING ORDERS
A SMITHFIELD glazier whose lot sits in the path of the planned Smithfield Bypass has been given until midnight this Sunday to get out.
Northern Glazing, Glass and Aluminium owner Mark Gunn said he did not have enough time to get everything out of the property he’s called home for the past 17 years.
“They told me they had a warrant for vacant possession. I told them I needed more time to pack everything up at the house and move my business of eight staff,” he said.
“I asked for one more week. They told me ‘no’.
“I’ve bought a house in Smithfield, but all I could afford at that notice was an old house that needs renovation.
“It won’t be ready for another week, so until then, I’ve got nowhere to go.”
Mr Gunn said he first found out the bypass would run through his property at Cattana Rd, Smithfield when he read about it in an issue of the Cairns Post in July 2017.
That, he said, set the tone for negotiations with the Department of Transport and Main Roads that would follow over the next year for compulsory acquisition of the property.
The property was rezoned and the titles taken a few months ago, with most of the negotiations being done through lawyers. Mr Gunn said he met representatives from Main Roads shortly after to discuss compensation
“We gave them a quote we’d gotten from an independent evaluator. They came back with an offer $500,000 less than that,” he said.
“They know I don’t have the money to fight them in court.
“We’ve been running the business on mobile phones the last few weeks. I was renting out a flat out the back and losing income on that. They don’t take any of that into account.
“There’s stuff in there that won’t fit into my new house — which I’m going to lose if they don’t give me the extra time.
“They just take and take without any compassion.”
A DTMR spokeswoman said the department acted in accordance with the Acquisition of Land Act.
“We aim to avoid impacting private property wherever possible, however resumptions cannot be avoided in all cases,” she said.
“All assessments are based on the market value of the property at the date of the resumption and are undertaken by independent valuers.”
Barron River MP Craig Crawford, who previously urged Mr Gunn to work with TMR when the matter was revealed last year, declined to comment.