Soho Square to rise in Ponsonby

The project will be the biggest mixed-use development in Ponsonby.

Soho Square, a $250 million mixed-use development by Auckland-based Marlin Group, is set to rise from a yeast production site in Ponsonby.

The project will be the biggest multi-purpose development in the trendy inner-city suburb.

Soho Square will be constructed on the 1.3ha site that Marlin Group bought in July 2004 from New Zealand Food Industries, which produces all the liquid yeast and 98.5 per cent of all compressed yeast made in the country.

The yeast factory has been on the site since 1910, but by 2002 realised its property had become a prime development site located among glamorous retail premises with a densely populated residential area nearby.

The project, with street frontages to Williamson Ave, Pollen St and Crummer Rd, will set new standards for contemporary inner-city urban development, says Marlin Group's project director Paul Hudson.

He says Soho Square has been designed to be "considerate of the past and thoughtful of the future".

When finished in April 2009 the Square will consist of five buildings with a mix of office space, retail and apartments in each.

Marlin Group is planning to build 25,000sq m of office space, 12,500sq m of retail area and 52 apartments.

It is a landmark development for Ponsonby and will attract top-end High Street retailers and leading tenants, says Hudson. The project is in keeping with Auckland City's goals and preferences for low-rise, environmentally sensitive developments.

Auckland City Council's resource consent is for the 30,000sq m of net lettable area but the final mix and associated consents has yet to be determined, says Hudson.

Marlin Group's first stage of the project is due to be completed by November 2008. It will include 8000sq m of office space with 1250 car parks in accordance with existing consents.

The yeast factory has moved to new premises and, following the expiration of the company's lease this week, Marlin Group will begin three months of demolition work before the main construction work begins in November.

The building programme commences with a multi-level 1250-bay underground car park covering the entire footprint of the site. Offices, shops and apartments will sit on a podium on top of the car park.

Hudson says there was a lot of debate in Ponsonby about the site and residents were passionate about the style of development they wanted.

Four firms took part in the competition to design the project.

Ignite Architects won the brief and director Jeremy Whelan has come up with a plan that is similar in parts to existing areas of Ponsonby.

"We wanted to create an urban heart for Ponsonby," Whelan says.

"It was an opportunity to give life to the southern end of Ponsonby through meeting places, bars, cafes, restaurants and large office floor plates around a 1500sq m urban square."

An internal cobbled boulevard will cut through the development from Williamson Ave, providing access to taxis and pedestrians.

Cafes and shops will line the boulevard at street level, and extensive commercial space will be available on the upper levels.

The overriding intent has been to provide buildings which create new urban public spaces for Ponsonby.

There is 3500sq m of public area and the buildings will vary in their architectural style to emulate the eclectic architectural feel already existing on Ponsonby Rd.

Whelan says the site was difficult because it has a 10-metre fall but "the design blends modern office and traditional buildings to bring Ponsonby's streetscape into the development".

The 2500sq m office floor plates will be the largest in Ponsonby. Colliers International leasing brokers Andrew Reed and Chris Palmer say the large floor plates will suit businesses who have found it difficult to find large enough commercial space in the CBD with the infrastructure they require.

One of the biggest problems facing employers is the ability to retain workers and therefore cut staff turnover costs, says Reed.

The quality of this development, the size of its floor plates, proximity to public transport and the many amenities at its door will help businesses provide an environment that is stimulating and friendly to work in.

Palmer says the site's location near the Southern, Northwestern and Northern Motorways will make Soho Square ideal for commuters.

Reed and Palmer are targeting businesses who need 1000sq m or more but Marlin Group is prepared to divide the floors to suit the requirements of tenants.

Sizes for the majority of the upmarket shops range from 300sq m to 100sq m but the complex will accommodate larger stores of up to 1700sq m for more intensive retailing. Hudson says there is no shortage of retail tenants wanting to move into Ponsonby.

"Australian retailers coming into New Zealand want to be in either Newmarket or Ponsonby so we do not envisage any problem with attracting High Street stores."

The development will generate increased economic activity and custom for Ponsonby Rd, says Hudson, and should strengthen the area as a retail centre and destination.

For people who want to live at Soho, the mid-size apartments will be priced from $700,000 and will come with a separate entrance and car park off Crummer Rd, so they are not disturbed by office workers and shoppers.

Marlin Group says each floor in the development has an average of 220 car parks, all located on the biggest single- level car-park floor plate in Ponsonby.

The project is a benchmark development that will be home to some of New Zealand's leading businesses, restaurants, fashion and design retail outlets," Hudson says.

"We want it to become a swish place to work, live and play."