Some people in the neighbourhood are concerned the six-storey building will block their sunlight. Image / Forma Group
Some people in the neighbourhood are concerned the six-storey building will block their sunlight. Image / Forma Group
A property developer wants to demolish a 140-year-old “grand estate” to build a six-storey luxury apartment building in Wellington’s Mount Victoria.
The Forma Group development, called Mayfair, includes a heated swimming pool and wellness area.
Some nearby residents oppose the project, citing concerns about privacy, disruption and the building’s scale.
A developer looking to bowl a historic Wellington estate to build luxury apartments says the proposal wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for recent planning changes.
Forma Group has lodged a resource consent application with Wellington City Council to demolish a vacant 140-year-old villa in Mount Victoria andbuild a six-storey apartment block in its place.
Mayfair is being pitched as a high-end, 1473sq m development zoned in the high-density – and highly desirable – residential area, bordering the town belt.
The proposed Austin St apartments would include an outdoor heated swimming pool, indoor “wellness area”, and an underground carpark.
Other amenities include a summer house with kitchenette and dining facilities, a residents' lounge and EV charging.
A mock-up shows the Mayfair development proposed to replace a historic estate on the Mt Victoria site. Image / Forma Group
The plans would see the demolition of Westbourne, a four-bedroom, two-dwelling property built in the 1800s, previously the home of Wellington town clerk J.R. Palmer.
It was purchased by Forma Group in late 2023 for $2.9 million, who said they then tried to sell the property, before deciding on the Mayfair development, crediting District Plan changes that allow for higher-density building.
In the sale listing from last year, Ray White describes the property as a “magnificent estate” and says the sale “presents a rare opportunity to secure one of the largest original residences remaining in Mount Victoria”.
A demolition date for the building has not been set.
The Westbourne estate currently occupies the property. Photo / Ray White
“We bought the property before the new District Plan came into effect, and those zoning changes then increased our options for development,” Forma Group director Mark Quinn said.
The District Plan, which was signed off by RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop earlier this year, stripped some housing character protections and increased housing density rules by allowing construction of taller buildings in Wellington.
Quinn calls it the first development of this scale under the District Plan and said they wanted to go “above and beyond” with the building to “demonstrate that the District Plan can be implemented responsibly in this new era of density intensification”.
The estate's previous owners lived there for nearly 70 years. Photo / Ray White
Not everyone in the suburb is on board with the proposal, with resident Ralph Highnam organising opposition to the development.
Highnam said he is concerned the building will impact privacy and block sunshine for neighbouring properties, and the construction will cause “massive disruption” for those nearby.
“It’s the first development going through the District Plan, which our green council accepted against independent expert advice,” he said.
“It basically sees our green council supporting a profit-driven multimillionaire developer building luxury flats with 29 extra cars to the detriment of all the hard-working ratepayers around the location.
“We want to see appropriate and respectful development of the site, not maximised profit over the wellbeing of the local community.”
Architectural images from the proposed luxury apartments show sweeping views of Wellington. Image / Forma Group
Quinn said he has asked that neighbours of the development be included as notified parties to the consent application, which he said will “allow them to be heard”.
“I know it’s confronting for people, any change is confronting.”
But he said ultimately, they should be on board, saying the building “fits in nicely” with the area, and will bring more people to the neighbourhood.
He said Mount Victoria already has a number of large buildings, but believes his one is “an exemplar among ones that have already been built”.
Wellington City councillor and heritage advocate Iona Pannett lives in the suburb and said she’s “very concerned” about the proposed development.
Pannett said her main concern stems from the scale of the building, saying “it’s massively out of keeping with the rest of the neighbourhood, it’s right up against the town belt, which impacts our enjoyment of our critical green space”.
She also said the laneway off Austin St to the building isn’t built to service an apartment of that size and will cause disruption.
Councillor Iona Pannett opposes the Mayfair development, but says smaller townhouses could be a suitable option. Photo / Mark Mitchell
While Pannett would prefer that the original building be restored, believing it “adds something” to the neighbourhood, she acknowledges the city does need more housing and said she isn’t “necessarily opposed” to a different type of development on the site, such as smaller townhouses.
“This one is just completely inappropriate for the site, it also won’t be affordable.”
The resource consent proposal is currently before Wellington City Council for consideration. If issued, the building is scheduled for completion in early 2027.
Ethan Manera is a multimedia journalist based in Wellington. He joined NZME in 2023 and is interested in local issues, politics and property in the capital. Ethan is always on the lookout for a story and can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.
