Council asked to take more time over Tank Farm redevelopment

The Auckland City Council is under pressure to temporarily suspend plans for the largest waterfront development in Auckland's history to allow more work on the complex planning and governance issues.

There are concerns that the council and others involved are rushing to meet a May 31 deadline to notify a plan change for the 35ha Tank Farm when work is not due to start until 2009 and is planned to go on until 2025.

This follows a huge public backlash against council plans for thousands of apartments on the headland jutting into the Waitemata Harbour. A resounding 76 per cent of the 1465 public submissions said there was not enough open space in the council's blueprint. Just 16 per cent "supported" or "somewhat supported' the amount of commercial development.

Sir Ron Carter, one of the country's leading engineers and chairman of the Committee for Auckland, a non-political charitable trust formed three years ago to promote and develop the region, yesterday said the timeframe seemed incredibly short for such a large and important project.

And Viaduct Harbour Holdings, a private company which owns 8.3ha of land at the Tank Farm, has written to the council asking for a two-month delay to the plan change.

Sir Ron said a short delay would give the three main players - Auckland City Council, Ports of Auckland and Viaduct Harbour Holdings - more time to refine the plan change and work out the equally important governance model to deliver the project.

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said the council was keeping the "foot on the pedal" to meet the May 31 deadline.

"We don't want to fall into the trap of delaying critical decisions and find that six months later you haven't gained anything ... but it would be silly to spoil it for the sake of three-to-four weeks' rushed work," he said.

The May 31 deadline was part of an Environment Court settlement among the council, Ports of Auckland and Viaduct Harbour Holdings.

The council has until May 31 to introduce a public plan change. Failure to meet the deadline opens the door for the ports company or Viaduct Harbour Holdings to introduce their own plan change.