Parnell leaders and ARC see bright future for old railway workshop

Parnell community and business leaders are campaigning to retain a large old railway workshop building and use it for a new "destination" station between their village centre and Auckland Museum.

A concept plan from local architects puts the building, occupied by the heritage rail operator Mainline Steam and community artists, at the centre of a development which transport officials believe could host Auckland's fourth busiest station.

But KiwiRail wants Mainline Steam to move to Henderson to clear Auckland's inner city lines for electric trains and Debbie Harkness, manager of the business organisation Parnell Inc, says the immediate challenge is to dissuade it from demolishing the building.

"KiwiRail really has it in mind to bowl away the building - it would be a crime to have the building bowled," she told the Auckland Regional Council transport committee in a joint presentation with the Parnell Community Committee.

Although the Transport Agency left Parnell off a list of seven station projects for which it intends adding subsidies to council cash in the next three years, regional chairman Mike Lee wants progress to be made before his organisation is abolished in 12 months.

"In some ways this is our last station to deal with - it's a very, very important one," he told the transport committee after the presentation.

"We can make a start and then find the balance [of the money] later - time is of the essence."

The committee called for a staff report on the project before Christmas after other members joined Mr Lee in welcoming the concept plan, by Nicholas Stevens of Stevens Lawson Architects in Parnell.

Mr Stevens cited Sydney's award-winning Carriageworks performing arts centre as a good example of an international trend towards transforming old railway workshops and other industrial buildings into exciting urban design projects.

He said the sprawling Mainline Steam building could become an impressive centrepiece for a development including large open public spaces and possibly apartments, hotels, offices and cafes.

"It is a really interesting piece of industrial archaeology, something of which there is very little left in New Zealand," he said of the building, which is on more than 2ha of land owned by KiwiRail.

"It could become a conference centre with various uses associated with the museum, the university or art gallery - we are looking at something we should grab, right in the centre of Parnell."

Parnell Community Committee member Luke Nuie said the development would provide a superior gateway to Auckland Museum through a below-tracks pedestrian underpass.

Although the site was now "a barren wasteland", he said, the valley had seen an extraordinary amount of Maori history which could be highlighted and celebrated.

The development might also enable Parnell to give more support to creative industries handy to Auckland University and AUT, and provide "a wonderful venue for a Fashion Week catwalk".

Ms Harkness said an addition to the site of the old Newmarket station building, which has been in storage for almost two years awaiting a new home, could be the focal point for a heritage trail along the valley floor.

Although the Waipapa Stream lies buried beneath the valley floor, it was the site of the arrival of Auckland's first settler ships in 1842.

Regional council parks and heritage committee chair Sandra Coney said central Auckland lacked tourist attractions and such a development would add value to visits to Parnell by cruise ship passengers.

Fellow councillor Joel Cayford said it was great that such a big site remained in public ownership, unlike nearby Newmarket, where a large amount of railway land had been "flogged off and poorly developed".

Mr Stevens said KiwiRail had indicated it would be prepared to consider selling the land to a site developer or becoming involved in a development partnership.