Angry residents have taken their frustration at the Christchurch City Council over the organisation’s inability to fix the city’s smelly organics processing plant.

A report recommending the council look for a new site for the city’s plant is being considered today.

The plant is currently situated in Metro Place, Bromley.

Years of ongoing concerns with odour associated with the plant has led the council to investigate the option of moving it to a new location.

Dr Tracey McLellan – MP for Banks Peninsula, told the council “it’s not just about the aesthetics of smell, because as we know, bad things smell bad for a really good reason.”

She said “it’s a biological indicator that something’s gone wrong, and there is a potential danger out there and the environment and being in the state of constant hypervigilance.”

“This has created a huge stress for this community.”

“When I’m out and about in Woolston and in Bromley, it comes up every time, almost without exception. It’s not just the fact that you can’t have your windows open or you can’t dry your laundry and washing on the line. It’s not just about not being able to go outside and enjoy your garden. It’s about feeling trapped in your own home and the place, the very place that you should be able to have that enjoyment and to see all your basic sort of happiness.”

Ecan Councillor and Christchurch resident Nicole Marshall made a passionate deputation at council this morning.

“The Council is failing to deliver economic growth, and wellbeing for Christchurch as a whole.” She said. “You are spending millions of ratepayer dollars every year on a facility that is poisoning our community.”

“Bromley is a community that has suffered for over a decade because of your facilities”

“How long the Bromley community has suffered and how deeply it has suffered and the way the Bromley community has been treated by your Council has created an environment of massive distrust.”

Marshell said “repeated failed interventions by your Council to fix the issues at the organics processing client means our community does not have any trust or faith that any action you take to fix, remediate or replace part or all of the organics processing plant will fix the situation.”

She said “the Bromley community has been let down by you too many times. This Council is a bad neighbour and the community wants you gone.”

Resident Bruce King tearfully told the council “we are treated like second class citizens on the east side of Christchurch. I’m sick of the way we are treated.”