Whangārei hotel design and layout professionals throw around ideas

Barry Trass, far right, with Zach Brown and Chris Brood from Accord Hotel in Sydney and Jade Kake discuss design and layout of the new hotel development. Photo / John Stone

A number of reports being prepared as part of the resource consent application for a $200 million-plus four-star Whangārei hotel development should be completed before the year is out.

The architects of the project, Northland Development Corporation (NDC), organised a workshop in Whangārei this week to get feedback from a large number of professionals with expertise in large-scale hotel, entertainment centre and apartment development.

They included representatives from Accor Hotel in Sydney who NDC has partnered with for the project, local iwi, roading and design engineers, architects, and marine and urban design specialists.

NDC is planning a $200m-plus four-star, 130-room hotel, entertainment centre and apartments on a site in Riverside Drive that is expected to be a catalyst to attract concerts and other entertainment events that currently bypass Whangārei because there is not a large enough facility for them.

NDC spokesman Barry Trass said it was a good opportunity to sit around the table and discuss ideas about the design and layout of the massive project.

Also in attendance were representatives from Q Theatre in Auckland to talk about how to get theatres included in a hotel and entertainment centre development.

"All the professionals are working on things like geotechnical report, a heritage report is also getting done as well as an archaeological report, roading and design so it will take a number of months before a resource consent is lodged," Trass said.

"The local iwi is doing a cultural impact report. We are moving very quickly but it's a massive project and that's why we want to get everything right. We also want the community to have a buy in it, to treat the project as their own."

The Government has contributed $1.3m from the Provincial Growth Fund towards the project.