Proposed Chapel Street chainsaw chain store objected to

Objections from Masterton Trust Lands Trust and the Masterton District Council are thwarting plans for a new chainsaw chain store on Chapel Street.
Masterton property developer Richard Wilton wants to build a Stihl Shop franchise outlet on 188 Chapel Street.
Because the land is zoned residential, running a business there is a "discretionary" activity requiring council approval.
Mr Wilton said the site is "perfect" for the development. "There's no better site for the Stihl shop than 188 Chapel Street", he said.
Mr Wilton's resource consent application, submitted to the council in July, proposes subdividing the residentially-zoned Chapel Street site and getting land-use consent to develop a commercial business there.
The proposal would amalgamate the two residential lots he owns at 188 Chapel Street into one title.
He plans to shift and expand his outdoor power equipment business, Chainsaws and Mowers at Dixon Street, and branch out into the service, sale and hire of mobility scooters at the 1428m2 Chapel Street site.
Pak'n'Save, Tunnell Tyres and Farmlands sit opposite the site of the proposed Stihl Shop, which would have indoor, and outdoor display areas as well as a mechanical workshop that would include a soundproofed testing room for machinery.
Two submissions objecting to the development have been received from the council and Masterton Trust Lands Trust.
Zoning, noise and loss of residential amenity value are the grounds upon which the council are objecting.
Council property officer Pam Cockburn made the submission, which said the site should remain a residential area and that Chapel Street provides a natural partition separating businesses on the east side from residential properties on the west side of the street.
"The area is residential and should remain so," she said in the submission.
The council owns nine pensioner flats adjacent to the site, which would be unduly affected by the development, the submission said.
Masterton Trust Lands Trust's Alan Sadler expressed similar objections to the proposed rezoning of the site in his submission.
The submission said "the scale, appearance, and shading of a commercial building, all impact adversely on a residential property".
The trust's submission also said Masterton already has enough commercially-zoned land to accommodate Mr Wilton's project.
Mr Wilton's resource consent application proposes hedges and wooden fencing up to 1.8m high will surround the development.
The Chapel Street site fronts on to State Highway 2 and Transit New Zealand has given written approval for the development.
Mr Wilton said he is unaware of any objections from neighbours in the block, which encompasses the area from Cornwall Street to Michael Street.