A hard-working elderly couple is left without their pension, thanks to government red tape, after running a petrol station for 40 years.
Ian and Lyn Richter, aged 73 and 74, found a buyer for the Liberty petrol station in Rathdowney, in the mountain ranges west of the Gold Coast, in preparation for their golden years.
But three years later it’s covered in weeds and the gas pumps have frozen at $1.10 a gallon after they found out the strip of land it was on couldn’t be transferred to someone else.
The couple leased the rights to use the land, which belongs to the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, for their business and assumed the same lease could be transferred to a new buyer.
But the grandparents discovered that not only could they not sell the business, they couldn’t simply walk away
Ian and Lyn Richter, aged 73 and 74, not only cannot sell their petrol station and retire, they must pay hundreds of thousands to demolish it, the government said.
The lease terms state that once it is no longer a functioning gas station, any ‘improvements’, such as underground fuel tanks, must be removed at their expense.
The undertaking would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“I just couldn’t believe this wasn’t happening because we’ve basically lost a huge chunk of what other people would call their pension, it’s just gone,” Lyn said. A current issue.
“So many sleepless nights over all of this, it’s just very, very hard to deal with,” Ian added.
The gas station is the only one in town and has been in operation for four decades
The couple has already spent $13,000 on legal fees.
But the department is not backing down.
“The terms of this license have not changed since 1986 and it is quite clear that the term of office can be terminated with minimal notice and the license cannot be transferred,” the spokesperson said.
“The land is part of Mt Lindesay Highway and is required for future road development.”
Ian said the whole ordeal was an ‘absurdity’ as a new road there is unlikely to happen for decades.
They hope that the government will return to the negotiating table.