Residents to keep fighting against funeral home

Residents of a Christchurch street are convinced their fight to stop a funeral home setting up on the corner is not over.

Bell Lamb and Trotter managing director Andrew Bell has been granted consent to operate a home office from his property at 1 Rochdale St in Fendalton.

Residents believe the move is a ‘‘back door’’ approach to running a funeral home at the property.

They expect Bell to reapply for a resource consent to operate a funeral home from the house.

Bell said yesterday his application for a funeral home was on hold, and he was ‘‘undecided’’ about whether he would pursue the funeral home application. ‘‘I’m considering my options.’’ Bell originally planned to operate a small-scale funeral home from the property, but came up against strong opposition from neighbours. A resource consent allowing the move was quashed by the High Court in March after the Rochdale Precinct Society pursued a judicial review of the decision.

The High Court questioned the car requirements.

The home office consent allows Bell to construct a new vehicle access from Straven Rd and create two new car parking spaces.

Resident Karen Harrison said she was ‘‘absolutely convinced’’ Bell would now pursue another application for a funeral home.

‘‘I just see this as a back door approach to him getting his funeral home.’’

More than a dozen residents wrote to the Christchurch City Council opposing the home office and several questioned why a small home office required a larger, specialised car park, when Bell’s original proposal for a funeral home at the home did not.

Rochdale Precinct Society spokesman David Nicholls said ruling parking the society was disappointed at the decision to approve the home office, and would consult its lawyer.

Nicholls said now Bell had got approval for the additional car parks through the home office consent, he expected Bell to pursue the funeral home application.

‘‘We will use all our resources to try and prevent it. All the residents are in it for the long haul. We’re hoping for a good outcome.’’

The home office consent decision, issued by a hearings panel led by commissioner Anthony Hughes-Johnson QC, said the panel was ‘‘mindful’’ of the concerns expressed by the residents, but it must deal with the office application in isolation.

‘‘We are not entitled at law to consider that the office application may represent ‘the thin edge of the wedge’ as feared by some residents.’’

The panel has restricted use of the Straven Rd access to a maximum of four vehicle trips a day in association with the home office, and a maximum of two visitors at any time. No right turns would be allowed in or out of the Straven Rd entrance.

Bell said the hearings panel had made the correct decision.

Christchurch City Council resource consents head John Higgins said the funeral home application was referred back to the council to process afresh after earlier decisions were quashed by the High Court, but processing was on hold, at the applicant’s request.

‘‘We will use all our resources to try and prevent it. All the residents are in it for the long haul.’’ Rochdale Precinct Society spokesman David Nicholls