The Auckland-based company has applied for land-use consent for a $2.6 million development, which, if granted, will result in the reinstatement of a fuel service station, a service station shop, an office and a new commercial activity on the site of the former petrol station at 8 Berkshire St.
Mobil fuel pumps were removed from Arrowtown in 2007, meaning residents and visitors to the town had to travel about 25km to Frankton for fuel.
Established in the 1890s, the church has had several additions, including a lean-to structure which will be demolished if consent is granted.
The site contains Shamrock Motors' auto repair workshop, which will continue to operate, the petrol to be supplied by Gasoline Alley Services Ltd (GAS), to which Makaraka Estate Ltd has the rights.
Submissions on the proposal closed on April 20. A total of 148 were received, 118 in support, 27 neutral and three in opposition.
Two of the opposing submitters were Andrew and Nadia Morris and Ray Wade, neighbours to the site.
Mr Morris, who lives less than 14m from the site, said he objected to the proposal in its entirety.
He had "significant concerns" about the development and the effects it would have on "our social wellbeing".
"Having just spent significant time, money and effort restoring a historically listed cottage and now working to improve landscaping to provide a comfortable and pleasant living environment, we believe the proposed development, with no real consideration given to our site or wellbeing, will significantly reduce the quality of our life ..."
He believed the development as a whole had a "significantly long list of non-compliance" and did not meet objectives of the district plan regarding residential amenities.
While a smaller station was on the site several years ago, "it would be inappropriate to reinstall a station in this location". He submitted it should be further out of town and away from residential areas.
Mr Morris was also concerned about the motor repair workshop being in a residential zone, and said it was apparent this was a purely commercial venture to maximise returns for an out-of-town developer "without any concern for the social wellbeing of local adjacent residents".
His other concerns regarded the smell of fuel, which he submitted would cause a "significant nuisance to our living and may even pose a health issue from prolonged exposure"; "earthquake safety", particularly with regard to boundary masonry; the removal of an existing building which he said would result in a loss of privacy on his property; an increase in light spillage and an increase in noise.
Fellow resident Mr Wade also opposed the development, with one of his primary concerns a lack of parking, which he said was already a major issue at the site and would be further tested by the commercial activity in the restored church.
The increase in activity would lead to "ribbon parking" in surrounding streets, he said.
"The site is too small to contain a number of activities within a residential area. The applicant and QLDC [Queenstown Lakes District Council] only have to look at the parking situation in the Bush Creek Rd commercial area to see what our historic area could so easily become.
"In view of the site cost and development costs, any commercial activity will of necessity have to be of a high profile and a busy nature to generate a return to this applicant."
Among those in support of the application was the Queenstown and District Historical Society, which stated the applicant's plans for the building were "imaginative and practical" and would fit in with the proposed development, as well as protect and highlight the church building.
The New Zealand Historic Places Trust said although the church building, which dated from at least 1898, was not listed in its registers or the Queenstown Lakes District Plan, it was by definition an archaeological site and, as such, an archaeological authority needed to be obtained from the trust before physical works began.
Numerous residents made submissions in support of the proposal, citing a need to have fuel for their vehicles, lawnmowers and barbecues without having to travel to Frankton.
One submitter, Kylee McShane, said that with living at Dalefield and working in Arrowtown, travelling to Frankton for petrol was "a waste of travelling [especially] for fuel", while Bridget McDonald, who works in the Arrowtown Information Centre, said many tourists expected to be able to fill up before heading to Cromwell, Wanaka or the West Coast, only to be told they had to go back to Frankton before leaving the district, which was "not good for a tourist town".
The Jade and Opal Factory staff were succinct in their submission: "Please let us have a petrol station."
