Northcote Motor Lodge owners Donna and Gary Brenssell have spent almost two years fighting with Christchurch City Council over Caltex Redwood operating beyond the limits of its resource consent by having an LPG gas bottle depot metres away from their sleeping guests.
The service station was using the depot for the commercial filling and distribution of gas bottles, which it did not have consent for.
The company shut the site down in February and retrospective resource consent was applied for after the ordeal gained television coverage.
An independent commissioner is now weighing up whether to or not to grant the service station resource consent to store and fill gas bottles for commercial purposes.
Gary Brenssell said if the consent was granted it would bring their business to an end.
It has already been a difficult year for the motel under a Covid-19 climate, where the majority of motels have struggled for business.
The Brenssells did not think it was appropriate for such an operation to occur within a residential area, especially after the Northwood gas explosion last year which seriously injured several people and damaged properties.
The city council’s submission on the application concluded it did not consider anyone to be adversely affected by the proposal.
Donna Brenssell described the submission as a "slap in the face to put it mildly".
"Up until February, it was so stressful for us, the emotion and the frustration around the council not understanding what we were going through.
"They still don’t understand saying that we are not adversely affected,” she said.
Mayor Lianne Dalziel said there was nothing she could do.
“I do feel for them, but they are now in a technical process and there is nothing elected members can do to change the requirements of the Resource Management Act,” she said.
