KEY POINTS:
Auckland mayor John Banks has attacked a city developer and his plans for five apartment blocks on the water's edge at Orakei.
As resource consent hearings for the development started, Mr Banks took the unusual step of issuing a statement to the Herald criticising the proposal and developer Tony Gapes' company, the Redwood Group.
"The visual aspect is frightening, and the developer's assertion this will be a quality project is hard to believe, Mr Banks said.
"Artist impressions of these flash glass and concrete boxes ring hollow in the face of past buildings from Redwood Group."
He was referring to the bulky Scene One, Scene Two and Scene Three apartments blocks in downtown Auckland and the leaky Eden One and Eden Two townhouse blocks in Mt Eden.
At yesterday's hearing, development director Andrew Showler said the apartment blocks were an attractive and responsible proposal making good use of a currently unattractive industrial site.
The Redwood Group wanted to see a development "we can be proud to be associated with".
The proposed 146 apartments at 228 Orakei Rd have attracted a backlash from hundreds of local residents.
Mr Gapes did not speak at yesterday's hearing in defence of his plan.
He left that to others, including Mr Showler and his lawyer, Christian Whata, who said the development provided an excellent opportunity to use prime residential land close to the city.
The first day of the hearing was largely taken up with experts hired for Redwood Group praising the architectural aspects of the proposed apartments and their effect on the local and wider environment.
Award-winning architect David Mitchell, of Mitchell & Stout Architects, showed floor plans y which, he said, did not indicate a "slum".
Mr Mitchell said the form and appearance of the development was a significant improvement on the present ad hoc collection of buildings on the site.
He said the effects of the development on the environment would be minor.
Landscaping proposals, including a 20m wide public esplanade, would improve the natural setting of the buildings, particularly on the Hobson Bay and Orakei Rd frontages.
Mr Mitchell said the apartment blocks would be made of concrete with intrinsic precast patterned end walls.
Where walls were made of pre-finished aluminium panels, these would be coloured in rhythmic patterns and punctuated by small brighter projecting balconies.
The colours would change from block to block as a form of coding.
"I believe the colours and finishes will produce a pleasing visual impact, appropriate to the setting," he said.
But one of four planning commissioners hearing the resource consent application, Leigh McGregor, said she believed there was too much visual colour, textural concrete, reflective metal, vertical and horizontal planes going on.
Add residents' lamps and curtains and it would become "visual overload".
Mr Mitchell pointed out several other features to the design such as an underground carpark for residents' vehicles, access to all ground floor apartments being through private courtyards; and the addition of a cafe and small retail store.
Landscape architect and Boffa Miskell director Rachael de Lambert said the architectural quality of the apartments and comprehensive landscape work would create a quality urban environment and improve the coastal area.
"The existing coastal interface is neglected and of poor quality. It is treated very much as the backside of an industrial/commercial activity.
"The proposed development will provide a full esplanade reserve and has been designed to protect and enhance the remnant tuff feature and associated existing mature pohutukawa in the south-west corner of the site."
The hearing will focus today on traffic and parking issues.
