The old Carterton courthouse was overflowing with supporters of Kelly and Nathan Sargent at their consent hearing last year. PHOTO/FILE
KAREN COLTMAN
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Former Carterton councillor Chris Engel is fighting for the council to pay back Sargent Motorcycles what it cost to get building consent for its new premises.
Engel plans to address the full council at its meeting today.
He said the owners of Sargent Motorcycles were forced to spend thousands of dollars because of “council errors” and it was “not right”.
Engel was one of more than 100 people who came to support the Sargents at the building consent hearing on November 26 last year.
“The council called the hearing but had no objection to the plans or the building at any stage and in fact granted them consent,” he said.
“It is ridiculous. They dragged Kelly and Nathan Sargent through this at a huge cost to them, when actually the building specs were fine.”
He said he wanted to give moral support and make the matter “political”.
He emailed all Carterton councillors Monday morning with a draft motion for them to move: “That Carterton District Council [CDC] fully reimburse Sargent Motorcycles Ltd for all costs incurred by them to obtain their building consent at High Street South, Carterton”.
Apparently one first term councillor came back saying that the councillors were there to support small businesses.
“Well they had better make sure the council pay up then,” Engel said.
On Facebook last week, Kelly Sargent said: “It has been a long drawn out process, but we finally have light at the end of the tunnel, so we just wanted to say thank you to everyone for their kind words”.
“It’s the customers that make this business what it is and without you we would not be here.”
CDC asked Sargent Motorcycles to surrender the consent it granted in January 2019.
The company did this in July and reapplied.
At the consent hearing, commissioner Mark St Clair decided in favour of Sargent Motorcycles and this decision was not appealed.
The Sargents were to meet council chief executive Jane Davis yesterday.
Engel will speak at today’s CDC meeting in the public forum at 1pm at the Carterton Events Centre.
the Sargents have worked very hard to establish their business here in Carterton, made a real contribution to the community, they should be reimbursed all costs associated with the consents…..
Well done Chris Engel