Chelsea regional park takes step forward

Prospects for a new regional park have grown stronger with the North Shore City Council saying it will chip in $10 million to complete the purchase of the land and lake around the Chelsea Sugar Refinery.

The Chelsea Park Trust signed a conditional agreement to buy the refinery's 36.7 ha of parkland and lakes on behalf of the community last December.

The deal gave the trust until this month to obtain finance for the property at the edge of Birkenhead.

About $10 million has been raised, and yesterday city parks chairwoman Margaret Miles said the council would pay the rest to convert the land into public ownership.

She said the money would come from developer contributions towards the costs of growth instead of rates.

The council had been impressed by the hard work of the trust, formed in 2001, to get an agreement from Chelsea Sugar and raise money.

Other contributors included the Government with $2 million, ASB Trusts $6 million and the Auckland Regional Council $2 million.

Trustee Neil Darroch said the council would eventually own the land, which could become the nucleus of a larger park.

A park could potentially be extended along a stretch of continuous, unspoilt and forested coastline on the north shore of the Waitemata Harbour, west of the Harbour Bridge.

But Mr Darroch said there were other conditions to complete the Chelsea Park sale.

The company wanted to be able to continue its round-the-clock operations. In case the refinery was relocated, the company was seeking a change to the district plan for its remaining 15ha to allow reuse of heritage buildings and new ones in a concept for a mixed housing and commercial development.

Chelsea Estate Park has lakes, regenerating forest, wetlands, open spaces and historic homes, fishing and bird-breeding spots, historic gardens, dams and walking and jogging tracks.

Other areas needed to complete a regional park along the Uruamo headland were in public ownership.

These were Kauri Pt, Centennial Park (26ha), Kauri Pt Domain (17ha) and Chatswood Reserve (13.7ha) owned by the North Shore City Council, and the Kauri Pt Naval Armaments Depot (83ha) owned by the Government.