A Yass Valley council decision permitting a new landscaping business to operate on Mulligans Flat Road has forced the hand of his neighbour.
He's selling up and getting out, knowing that heartbreaking decision will also displace his daughter and her husband who live on the same rural residential acreage under dual occupancy, and leave a home he built with his own hands.
"That's it for me, I will have to leave. I can't stand the noise and stress of this business starting up again next door," John Grbesa said.
"It was awful before it was closed down previously; it's going to be even worse now."
Mr Grbesa and his neighbours were shattered by Thursday's council decision to allow the business to proceed after they had desperately sought a stay in proceedings to better prepare their case against the development.
Opponents of the landscaping business say all the documentation for the development application had only been loaded to the council website three working days before the meeting, giving them very little time to prepare their case.
"This decision just defies common sense," Mr Grbesa said.
"The ACT border is just over the hill.
"Former Yass Valley mayor Rowena Abbey is on the record for wanting to protect and preserve properties from industrial development within the 5km buffer zone of the ACT border.
"That was the council promise made to residents such as us.
"But now they [the council] have backflipped on us. It's an awful, bitter feeling to be let down like this. It's a complete loss of trust in the council to do the right thing."
The landscaping business given the go-ahead will run its trucks up and down a long driveway and load retail products in its yard for delivery into the ACT and NSW, increasing traffic on Mulligans Flat Rd
The business had operated from the same location for years until it was found to be in breach and shut down about 18 months ago.
Peace returned to the valley - but not any more.
Conditions have been imposed which will limit the landscaping company's hours of operation and allow only the trucks which belong to the company to be parked up there overnight.
