KEY POINTS:
A secret deal allowing the demolition of 7600 homes in heritage suburbs was on the verge of being signed yesterday before Auckland City Mayor John Banks intervened to stop it.
Mr Banks convened a crisis meeting with chief executive David Rankin and planning boss John Duthie after learning through the Herald yesterday afternoon that Mr Duthie was about to sign away a key heritage plank of the last council.
Mr Duthie has been in secret talks for months with a handful of people opposed to new rules protecting pre-1940 homes in Residential 1 and 2 heritage suburbs, who have threatened to challenge the rules in the Environment Court. They include environmental lawyer and partner in Russell McVeagh, Derek Nolan, who is acting in a personal capacity.
It is understood Mr Duthie agreed to overturn the controls on demolition in Residential 2 areas to maintain the controls in Residential 1. He sought backing from the previous council, but was told to defend the matter.
Mr Duthie resurrected the plan last month when he took a "confidential" paper to the city development committee. This time, the majority Citizens & Ratepayers councillors on the committee gave him the green light to proceed.
The Residential 2 zone covers about 7600 heritage homes in old and established leafy suburbs like Herne Bay, Epsom, One Tree Hill, Remuera, Parnell, Kohimarama and St Heliers.
These suburbs tend to have big homes on large sections that in the past have been replaced with expensive apartments and townhouses.
The Residential 1 zone covers about 8700 homes on small sections in traditional working-class suburbs like Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and Freemans Bay. It also includes much of Mt Eden.
The rules protecting pre-1940 homes were introduced by the previous council in 2005 following growing anger in suburbs like Herne Bay and Parnell at a loophole allowing houses to be demolished or removed in character suburbs. At the time, Mayor Dick Hubbard said the changes would end the "days of people waking up and finding bulldozers have gone into the house next door".
Mr Banks said if it was not for the Herald alerting him, "we could have seen hundreds of beautiful pre-1940s homes across this city being demolished and replaced with crass modern architecture".
The Herald began making inquiries to Mr Banks' office about the secret deal on Monday.
The mayor's chief of staff, Nick Clelland-Stokes, said just before noon yesterday the Herald could have details of the deal on the condition it agreed not to write anything until everything was wrapped up. The Herald refused and contacted Mr Banks.
At 1.30pm, Mr Banks said he had no idea what was going on but would look into the matter.
At 3.30pm Mr Banks had Mr Rankin in his office and Mr Duthie on a conference call asking what was going on. Mr Banks said he was "shocked" to learn of the secret deal, saying he should have been kept in the loop by staff. It was the second time in consecutive days Mr Banks has had a go at staff on heritage matters.
On Monday, he criticised them for allowing a historic Green Lane Hospital building to be demolished for an asphalt carpark.
Mr Banks said at the very least the secret deal being negotiated with property owners "needs to be sanitised by the light of day with full public disclosure".#"We need full consultation and a fully informed public debate around the whole question of the integrity of Residential 1 and 2."
Mr Duthie did not return calls last night. Mr Rankin said it would not be helpful to comment "because of the need to find out more information and get things sorted through a bit more".
Gail Morrison, a member of a Herne Bay group instrumental in pushing for the new rules, was amazed the council could overturn the rules without consulting the public. "We were just thinking how well it was working," she said.
Avondale-Waterview Historical Society president Lisa Truttman said more protection was needed for Avondale, not less.
"How on earth could this happen?" she said.
Ms Truttman said she wanted more information on the issue.
She said only one block around the historical Roberton Rd was protected under residential one status and the rest of Avondale was classified as residential six.
"It includes villas from the turn of the century, the first quarter of the century and character bungalows," Ms Truttman said.
She said the society sent in a submission when proposed zone changes to the area were announced by the city council.
* THE ZONES
Residential 1: intended to protect the built historic character of Auckland's early established residential neighbourhoods. Includes large portions of Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay, St Mary's Bay, Freemans Bay, and Mt Eden, with smaller pockets in Ellerslie, Onehunga, Parnell, Avondale and Otahuhu.
Residential 2: intended to protect the spacious and tree-filled qualities of sites characterised by generously sized lots, wide roads and lower densities often with period housing. Found primarily in Mt Albert, Herne Bay, Epsom, One Tree Hill, Parnell, Remuera, Kohimarama, and St Heliers.
