Store relocation in Whangarei Heads given the green light

Neil Engebretsen, left, and Yumin Song have been given the all clear by the Environment Court to relocate Taurikura General Store. Photo / John Stone

A couple's two-year legal wrangle with the Whangarei District Council and neighbours is over after they were given the green light to shift their business not far from its old site.

Neil Engebretsen and Yumin Song ran the Taurikura General Store for seven years and after its lease expired in 2013, they bought a three-bedroom house and an attached sleepout about 60 metres down and across the road.

Mr Engebretsen proposed to convert his new property into a 12-seat cafe, general store and post office with 10 on-site carparks which would operate between 7am and 9pm seven days a week.

He lodged a resource consent with WDC but council planners recommended their proposal to reopen the business be rejected after 10 neighbours, four adjacent to his property, opposed the project.

The proposed store is in a District Living 1 Environment, which requires that commercial activities be shielded from view and not operate outside the hours of 8am-6pm.

The couple appealed the council's decision to decline the resource consent to the Environment Court which approved the project with a number of conditions.

The court has directed WDC to finalise final conditions of consent and the proposed site plan within 20 working days from December 16, 2016.

"I am happy. We waited nearly two years. Taurikura and Whangarei Heads in general really needs some sort of other facilities like a cafe and that's what we're all about," Mr Engebretsen said.

He plans to convert the three bedrooms into a general store, cafe, and the post office while the couple will occupy the sleepout.

But the conversion will start after final orders are made by the Environment Court next month.

The previous premises Mr Engebretsen and Ms Song leased at 2311 Whangarei Heads Rd had traffic and parking constraints.

The owners of a seaside holiday property running along the southern boundary of the proposed store site are among those opposed to the project.

They said the proposed licensed indoor-outdoor cafe would have a major impact on their privacy as it would overlook their backyard.

Noise would likely exceed the district plan's maximum allowance for the area and that rubbish and food preparation odour could be an issue, they complained.

Neighbours Glen and Noelene MacDonald said the existing store at 2311 Whangarei Heads Rd was sufficient to meet the needs of the area.