'A travesty' - Wynyard Quarter residents concerned about plans allowing high-rise buildings
• May 10, 2024
New developments are a common sight in Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter. PHOTO: MacCartney Sutherland
Residents in Auckland Wynyard Quarter are concerned about the proposed law changes that would allow the development of high-rise buildings in the area.
In the Plan Change 78 document, the Auckland Council is proposing changes to its unitary plan guiding the use of land development and resources in the city.
The proposed changes to the unitary plan enable intensification and development in the central Auckland areas, including the Wynyard Quarter.
Leader of the Wynyard Quarter resident association Richard Greissman says that changes in the plan would bring unexpected tall buildings to the area.
“On average, across Wynyard Quarter the increase (height) would be 70 per cent above the original plan”, he says.
“The most egregious example is the proposal in plan 78 changes to allow for a 110 metre building at the corner of Gaunt Street and Daldy Street, just behind Amey Daldy Park.”
A resident of Wynyard Quarter June McCabe says that allowing buildings to be over 100 metres tall would be “damaging for the community.”
“A 100 metre-tall building is just a travesty; it will just destroy the overall environment.”
While residents are concerned about lifting height restrictions, they are not against the development of the area, but they want a diligent process.
“We're saying build in a way that is consistent with the vision. And that's really the crux of the problem,” Greissman says.
LISTEN: Richard Greissman talks more about the impacts PC78 will have on the community.
Waitemata local board member Alexandra Bonham says that while Auckland Council and its development arm Eke Panuku have so far succeeded in the development of the area, any new plans need to ensure that Wynyard Quarter remains a popular place to visit and live.
“The council’s response to Plan Change 78 is trying to maintain some planning control, rather than allow infinite height. We want to ensure the whole area works for multiple uses.”
In response to the proposed plan changes Greissman and other members of the resident’s association have put through a submission to the Independent Hearings Panel (IHP).
The IHP is still deliberating all submissions made to Plan Change 78, and it is expected to make a series of recommendations to the Council in the next few months.
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