$250m 41-level Indigo Hotel for Auckland's Albert St

Plans show the hotel fronting onto the area outside St Patrick's Cathedral.

Australians are planning a $250m 41-level 225-room hotel project for Auckland's Albert St on the site of a building with heritage status.

Australian business 94 Feet listed details of the project on its web site, showing Australian architects WMK had designed it.

The huge new building is planned to rise at 51 Albert St on the site of the heritage-listed Macdonald Halligan Motors company, near the Wyndham St intersection.

94 Feet is a property development and construction business.

It lists the project as being planned and reveals details of the concept: "41-storey, mixed use 225-room IHG Indigo hotel in addition to 24 luxury private residences on an under utilised strategic mixed-used site in Albert Street, comprising of a dual fronted historic facade and adjacent to St Patrick's Cathedral".

Indigo is yet to come here but it part of the InterContinental Hotels Group.

The Herald reported last decade how the site was to be developed into the 46-level Saffron apartment complex but those plans never came to fruition.

St Patrick's has raised concerns about developments in the area, particularly how construction would affect its precious 1800s structure.

The site at 51 Albert St was marketed in 2010 with agents calling it a redevelopment opportunity.

"The heart of this property lies in its future development potential,'' said Colliers International's Tony Allsop. "The opportunity is for investors to capitalise on the property's location and profile, particularly as the zoning encourages residential development and consent has already been obtained."

Being able to develop on to the upgraded St Patrick's Square was a further bonus, marketing said.

Plans by 94 Feet show the old motors building being retained as a facade. This is the second example of facadism to emerge today, after plans for the Yates Building at 13 Albert St were announced by developer Peter Wall.