Residents against plans for office
Residents of a Christchurch suburb are once again rallying against plans to ‘‘commercialise’’ their street.
More than a dozen residents have written to the Christchurch City Council opposing a plan by Andrew Bell to operate a home office from his property on Rochdale St in Fendalton.
Residents believe the move is a ‘‘back door’’ approach to running a funeral home at the property.
Bell, managing director of Bell, Lamb and Trotter funeral company, had originally planned to operate a small-scale funeral home from the property, but 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 latest application to operate a home office from the property stated Bell intended to carry out administrative activities including invoicing, payments, web design and service sheet design from the house. Apart from Bell, the only other employee who would be at the site from time to time was Bell’s mother, who would provide secretarial support for two hours a week during business hours.
There could also be monthly visits from Bell’s accountant or lawyer and a cleaner possibly once a week for an hour, but no clients or deliveries to the premises.
There would be no signage. A new vehicle access to the property from Straven Rd was planned to access two new car parking spaces.
The application makes no mention of any intention to hold funerals at the property, but residents believed Bell was using the new application as a stepping stone to setting up the funeral home. They also believed the new vehicle access on Straven Rd would increase the risk of further accidents.
Resident David Nicholls said in a letter to the council, Bell’s application was a ‘‘cynical and transparent plan’’ to prepare the ground for his original funeral home project.
Nicholls and several other residents 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.
Resident Anne Ross said there was already ample parking for Bell and even three visitors.
‘‘I am convinced that Mr Bell is using this process as a stepping stone to set up the boutique funeral home as was his original intention.’’
She said she was disappointed the issue of a commercial property being established in the residential area had once again reared its head.
Resident Karen Harrison said the application was a ‘‘back door approach’’ to running a funeral home.
Bell said yesterday his application for a funeral home was on hold, but creating a funeral home at the property was ‘‘not off the table’’.
‘‘I’m looking at my options,’’ he said.
Bell said the Rochdale St Precinct Society believed that two existing car parks were not compliant with the rules and inadequate for an office.
He said the society was adamant he was not allowed to work from home in any capacity whatsoever and its lawyer claimed he required six car parks.
But Bell said other people on the street were running offices from their homes, and many did not provide any parking, but had staff and clients coming and going each day.
A hearings panel, led by commissioner Anthony HughesJohnson QC, would decide if the application should be publicly notified.
The panel met on Monday and listened to concerns from residents. A decision is expected within 10 days.