Posh replacement for Poenamo

By WAYNE THOMPSON


Auckland home away from home for All Black teams over the years - is being lined up for demolition and a posh new replacement.

Despite the evergreen popularity of the "Poe" with sporting teams, pub band and air guitar fans, the 40-year-old hotel's buildings are tired.

"The market is more sophisticated," planner Stephen Havill said at a North Shore City Council hearing of the redevelopment application.

"Today, patrons have a greater expectation both in terms of their accommodation and entertainment areas whether they be restaurants or bars."

Mr Havill said the hotel's site on the corner of Northcote and Sunnybrae Rd was a rarity in the country's fourth-largest city and the applicant spent $400,000 on a scheme to make the most of it.

"When compared to similar-sized communities, the North Shore has few hotels, with only the Spencer on Byron being a true modern hotel."

The owner's market research showed a good hotel business on the Shore must offer a broad mix of accommodation.

The project is for 76 hotel rooms, 50 rooms to be managed by the hotel but owned by private investors, and 75 apartments.

Mr Havill said the new hotel's market was tourists and sporting teams staying 1-3 days, business people staying up to six months, and families on transfer or newly arrived from overseas, who needed a serviced unit for up to a year.

Applicant Sampati Holdings had owned the hotel since 1997 and recently completed the Bay Palms apartment development in Browns Bay.

The applicant wanted to reduce debt on the project by providing terrace housing, which would be owned by private investors but managed by the hotel as part of its operation.

Its design had been changed after 285 neighbours had been notified about the project, and to take account of council officers' concerns.

Council officers were concerned that some of the units at just under 50sq m were too small for permanent accommodation.

The applicant said it had reduced the number of units sought from 92 to 75 in order to make them 60sq m, excluding decks and common areas.

Car parking would be hidden underground instead of in a multi-level building and plans for a tennis court and shops had been dropped.

The scale of the hotel building was reduced and the hotel facade and entrance was changed to relate to Northcote Rd.

Boundary landscaping was widened to 6m in response to complaints from adjoining home owners.

The site is on two major roads which have traffic queues in the mornings. In response to concerns about the project making traffic problems worse, the applicant offered $300,000 towards a footbridge on Northcote Rd.

The hearing commissioners adjourned the hearing, which will resume after council elections.