L.P.G. consent cancelled

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 5

L.P.G. consent cancelled

Consent from the Christchurch City Council for the installation of an L.P.G. tank has been cancelled by the Planning Tribunal. The tank was to have been installed at the Stan Wheatley, Ltd, service station at the comer of Hills Road and Avalon Street. Two residents who live next to the station appealed against the decision to approve the tank, saying they were concerned about the close proximity of the proposed tank to their properties. After a hearing in early

December, a tribunal decision handed down yesterday allowed the appeals and refused the application for planning consent. The applicant was ordered to pay the residents $3OO towards costs. Factors which the tribunal said contributed to its decision included one neighbour’s apprehension about her safety, and the effect of the tank on the value of her property. Another matter was that although it was not prohibited to bring sources of ignition, such as barbecues or burners,

within 15 metres of the tank, the residents migbt feel uneasy about doing so. Also, the proposal was dependent on an unusually high wall between properties which would appear out of scale and would not conceal pipework on top of the tank. However, the tribunal said the decision should not discourage the applicant from considering putting the tank elsewhere on the service station site away from the boundaries of residential properties.