30-level tower plan for Albany

A $500 million high-rise apartment and shopping complex is being planned to create a new town centre on vacant land at Albany.

A large site on Don McKinnon Drive east of the Albany Supa Centa has been earmarked for the North Shore's largest development, bringing 794 apartment units and a number of shops and cafes.

The blocks will each have podiums of six to 10 levels and towers of 21, 25 and 30 levels. But the scheme is yet to get approval. Submissions were called for earlier this month and people have until the end of October to make their views known.

The developer is Albany City Holdings, a venture between Auckland developers Symphony Group and Mike O'Sullivan and Kevin Podmore, directors of financier St Laurence in Wellington.

Project chief Adam Reynolds of Symphony said North Shore City Council was processing the planning on a notified basis. Reynolds said the towers would be developed on land leased from Rick Martin's Cornerstone Group which had sold only the leasehold interest in perpetuity.

Apartments in the towers would be sold for between $400,000 and $500,000, Reynolds said, and be at 80 Don McKinnon Drive, near the North Shore District Court building.

Consultants Planning Network Services said Vern Warren was working on a council-initiated plan change on behalf of Neil Properties, Cornerstone Group and Symphony Group to provide for the development of a mixed use city centre in Albany.

"The new centre will provide for a range of retail, office, residential, employment, entertainment, education and community facilities," the consultant said.

The council's Stefan Naude said architects Jasmax had designed the towers. Parking for 1510 cars had been applied for, along with a gym, cinema and swimming pool. Westfield has begun its new $200 million mall near the development site.