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A "massive" 61-townhouse development proposed for Napier Hill has residents fearing the character and safety of the neighbourhood will be lost.
Hukarere Heights, sited on the old Hukarere Girls College campus off Napier Tce, will be a four-stage project turning the mostly empty property into a townhouse complex complete with swimming pool.
The 61 townhouses planned are three and four-storeys, in blocks of five to 13 units. One unit is standalone.
The almost 2.6ha property will be transformed with extensive earthworks needed for the steep site.
Architect Craig Moller of Moller Architects, (which designed the Sky Tower) said each block of townhouses would have its own character and a variety of materials would be used.
A resource consent for Hukarere Heights is out for public submissions. It complies with most planning regulations and does not breach the 10 metre height maximum or exceed maximum site coverage.
But neighbours are concerned at the proposal. They said the increased traffic flows would cause problems and would clash with traffic and children from Napier Central School.
And residents said the look of the planned development did not fit with the character of Napier Hill.
Christine Shields has lived on Napier Tce for 37 years and lives next door to the planned multi-unit development.
"I'm not at all happy about it; in a general sense because of the amount of traffic it will generate, but it is also about the look of the area," she said.
Selwyn Rd resident Anthony Sabiston agreed with Mrs Shields' concerns but had other worries about the high-density proposal.
"It's because of the density and what flows on from that."
The developers, School Development Ltd, were unavailable for comment.
