KEY POINTS:
The hotly debated development for the coastal Orakei headland is going back to the drawing board and another round of public consultation.
Auckland City Mayor John Banks is calling for scaled-back development on the sensitive site, on which up to 900 apartments and commercial space is planned, after an outcry from the wealthy northern slopes of Remuera, Orakei and Parnell.
Mr Banks, who was tossed out of office in 2001 for trying to build a motorway across Hobson Bay, has sided with the same community to come up with a development that protects the narrow peninsula between Hobson Bay and Orakei Basin.
Under his proposal, there would be no building on the southern side of Orakei Rd, including the Pinot function centre owned by the council.
Development would be capped at the 50,000sq m of floor space permitted under current zoning and be done to a masterplan.
"It's such a significant project and one of the best pieces of real estate in New Zealand. It needs careful thought," Mr Banks said.
Developer Tony Gapes, whose company Redwood Group has been thwarted every step of the way to build on the water's edge, has bought into the latest proposal.
He has agreed to sit down with the council and architects, Jasmax, to come up with a plan that meets "most" of the mayor's objectives. All going well, the new plan will be presented to a public meeting in February.
"We are still keen to breach the height limit in certain places, but not a lot. Instead of wanting five storeys, we might want to do six or seven. But what it will allow us to do is create a lot more open space. The more we can put in the air, the less we can put on the ground and end up with a much more high-quality development," Mr Gapes said.
It is unclear how a smaller development will affect public improvements, such as widening and straightening Orakei Rd. Mr Gapes had previously agreed to donate esplanade land and make public improvements worth $100 million for more intense development.
Orakei Residents' Society president Warren Tuohey supported the Banks' plan, but said the 700-strong group would want to see the new plans before committing to a revised master plan.
The society drummed up 691 pro forma submissions against the latest round of public consultation that included three options of between 680 and 900 apartments and between 69,000sq m and 88,000sq m of floor space.
This was a scaled-back version of earlier plans for two 13-storey towers and 100,000sq m of floor space around the rail corridor at Orakei.
The overwhelming majority of 855 public submissions to the latest proposals were opposed.
What they say:
* "There should be no development on the southern side of Orakei Rd. The Orakei Basin is an archaeological treasure and must be preserved" - Paul & Robyn Martin, Remuera.
* "The Orakei peninsula development deserves better than what has been proposed" - Derek Olphert, Remuera.
* "The area is ideal for the towers as there are no nearby buildings to shadow. It frees up more land for landscaping, public use and money for infrastructure" - John Borrows, Mission Bay.
* "Please ensure the heights of the buildings vary to avoid a boring skyline. Eight storeys are quite acceptable" - Bruce Eady, Remuera.
