KEY POINTS:
The sale of the 36.7ha Chelsea Park on Waitemata Harbour is to go ahead following a deal reached by the sugar refinery company and opponents to its future zoning plans.
Agreement for the sale was reached in 2005 but with riders: a community trust had to raise the $20 million price tag; the North Shore District Plan had to allow a suitable pattern of land use for the refinery should it close.
The Chelsea Park Trust raised the money but could not seal the deal because the company's wishes for a future use that included up to 528 apartments and offices ran into opposition. Objectors included the Birkenhead Residents Association, Auckland Regional Council and the Historic Places Trust.
Yesterday, Chelsea Sugar and the park trust announced that an agreement had been signed on an amendment to the District Plan. This would enable a special Chelsea future use and conservation zone to be applied to the refinery and its remaining 14ha, if refining ended. The agreement between Chelsea Sugar and its parent company, CSR, the ARC, the Historic Places Trust and the North Shore City Council must be ratified by the Environment Court.
Ratification would be the last step in a series of actions that would enable Chelsea Park to be a reality, said company general manager Bernard Duignan and park trust chairman Sir David Tompkins.
"Next year we celebrate 125 years of continuous operations on the Chelsea site and we could not ask for a better milestone to celebrate this event with the community," Mr Duignan said.
Sir David said the agreement marked the culmination of years of planning, negotiation and compromise by many people and organisations who had "the singular vision of ensuring that this precious relic of headland and park would not be lost to the community".
The trust received contributions from the North Shore City Council ($10 million), ASB Community Trust ($6 million), ARC ($2 million) and the Departments of Conservation and Internal Affairs ($1 million each).
City Council parks chairman Tony Holman said the agreement meant Chelsea could now be a fully interconnected part of the public reserve area on the Uruamo headland.
ARC chairman Mike Lee said the ARC was criticised for its legal appeal on the district plan. "But the agreement we finally reached shows that achieving a significant park doesn't have to come at the cost of inappropriate development."
OPEN COUNTRY
* Chelsea Sugar is selling 36.7ha of its land in Birkenhead for $20 million.
* It is being bought for a public park by the Chelsea Park Trust.
* It contains parkland, lakes, wetlands, regenerated forest, open spaces and historic houses.
* Chelsea Sugar will continue to operate on a 24/7 basis but its refinery on 14ha of business zone land is to be rezoned for future development, if refining stops.
* Future development requires a comprehensive plan, open to public scrutiny and fitting heritage protection and landscape rules.
