Reality check on visions of Venice for Viaduct

ANNE GIBSON and BERNARD ORSMAN discover some tough obstacles in the way of a utopian development plan for the harbour area.

Thanks to the enthusiasm of American architect Eric Kuhne, New Zealanders now know that designers of a new Auckland waterfront are prepared to think well outside the square.

The Auckland Waterfront Advisory Group - which is devising plans for 32ha of undeveloped land surrounded by Westhaven Marina, Victoria Park and the Viaduct Basin - did not want to publicise its initial ideas.

Project director John Whitehead was worried that the public would react badly to an early draft, which was likely to change considerably.

But Mr Kuhne could not resist sketching his interpretation of the group's draft design for the Weekend Herald.

It revealed four key ideas for the western waterfront area, which the group has been pursuing. They are shown again in today's overhead photo-graphic (which is designed only to illustrate the possible changes and is not a final blueprint for the area).

The four main changes would be:

* To extend Victoria Park across Fanshawe St, which would be run underground, with the park sweeping towards the water to enhance the area. Victoria Park would not flow down to the end of the Tank Farm, but would be extended far enough to provide a link between the greenery and the water;

* To build a series of canals and/or islands through the land to bring the water into the area, enhancing the commercial viability of future developments - more buildings would have water views - as well as connecting the sea with the land. Mr Kuhne said this would turn the area into something akin to Venice.

* To create a training or education campus on the Tank Farm, with the possible involvement of tertiary institutes. (The University of Auckland has two representatives in the planning group - vice-chancellor Dr John Hood and associate professor of architecture Clinton Bird.)

The campus idea could involve educational training, capitalising on our knowledge economy, building a marine research facility and vocational training for "those who didn't make it through the system".

* To reclaim land around Westhaven's breakwater to extend public access to the waterfront and provide a circle of land to enclose the marina.

Mr Kuhne said land would be lost through the canals, so the total amount of land in the area would stay about the same.

He suggested twin fountains could be built in the harbour to create a dramatic, Pillars of Hercules-style entrance for mega-yachts as they arrived.

He also said the Viaduct needed an iconic building, such as Sydney's Opera House. The design of this new building should be so distinctive and so "New Zealand" that it was immediately recognised as a symbol of the city and country.

He called for maximum public access and for any new apartments or office buildings to have shops or cafes on the ground floor, so they were accessible to the public.

Auckland should be careful not to copy other cities such as San Francisco with its waterfront redevelopment and not build something like Fisherman's Wharf "which would bore everyone to death".

However several hurdles lie ahead for the ambitious project. Some of the main obstacles are:

Internal disagreement

The advisory group insists that no agreement has been reached yet and plans are still at a broad concept stage.

Mr Whitehead said at least 60 people were at last week's meeting. The sketch was only one man's view and the result was likely to be quite different.

But Mr Whitehead also acknowledged that the four-part plan outlined by Mr Kuhne arose from the ideas of the group's core architects and had not originated with Mr Kuhne personally.

Mr Kuhne is due back in New Zealand in May to look at the blueprint for the area and have further discussions about the land.

But Mr Whitehead said yesterday that it might not be financially feasible to extend Victoria Park or run Fanshawe St underground.

As for planning issues, Mr Whitehead said he had weekly meetings with the Auckland City Council's planning team.

"We are working throughout this year to come up with a master plan, which would then be adopted by Auckland City Council and run by them as a scheme change.

"But we have to get the basics right - the economics of the zoning, a balance between what the stake holders want and what the city wants."

Planning permission Auckland City chief planner John Duthie said that before anything could happen, the advisory group would have to work out exactly what it wanted to do with the land.

Then it would have to apply for a district plan change and the council would take it through the normal public notification process.

"What we have said to them is, 'This a crucial area for the city' and we think it deserves an open, public debate on the way through," Mr Duthie said.

A big barrier to the grand scheme is the Tank Farm from Fanshawe St north, east of Halsey St and including Wynyard Wharf in a zone called the western reclamation precinct.

Most of the marine industry and hazardous goods companies in the zone have a variety of leases, some perpetual and others not expiring until some time between 2016 and 2026.

Wynyard Wharf is the only deepwater port site for hazardous goods in Auckland, and an alternative site would have to be found - and paid for.

So far, the Auckland City Council has stood firm on allowing the western reclamation area to be developed along the lines of the neighbouring Viaduct Harbour.

In 1998 and 1999 the council commissioned the New South Wales Department of Urban Affairs to prepare land use safety study reports on the area. The overwhelming conclusion was that the reclamation was not a suitable location for general retail, commercial, office or residential activities.

Mr Duthie said the reclamation area was a fantastic piece of Auckland and if there was no Tank Farm something very special and quite different could be done.

"But we have made it quite clear [to the advisory group] that the issues of hazardous goods storage and of cleaning up contamination will need to be addressed before we sort out new uses."

A spokeswoman for Ports of Auckland, Bronwen Jones, said it was too early to comment on what effect the scheme would have on the Tank Farm and Wynyard Wharf since there had only been a sniff of what could happen and many other ideas would come forward.

Roading plans Another issue that has to be thought through are proposals by Transit NZ to widen the approaches to the Harbour Bridge and, eventually, build a second harbour crossing near the bridge.

Putting Fanshawe St under Victoria Park so it can run down towards the harbour is feasible if someone comes up with the money.

St Marys Bay Association chairman Tony Skelton said the scheme complemented proposals by Transit to widen the notorious bottleneck along the 1.3km stretch from Victoria Park and past St Marys Bay to the bridge.

Transit plans to publish a range of options along this 1.3km stretch for public consultation within the next two months.

Among the options will be an expensive option, promoted by the St Marys Bay Association, to tunnel under Victoria Park and put the motorway in a trench in front of the suburb's $1 million-plus clifftop homes.

It is not clear how the scheme would affect a second harbour crossing, which is in the early planning stages by Transit.

Options include a tunnel or bridge near the present bridge and tunnel connections to the Northwestern and Southwestern Motorways, costing up to $2 billion.

Transit is keen to secure a route and land by 2004, but construction is unlikely to start before 2010.

Money The Minister for Auckland Issues and Auckland Central MP, Judith Tizard, said one thing Auckland needed was a social centre like the "fabulous idea" proposed in the scheme, but the city had to prioritise spending on major capital projects such as transport.

"Knowing what the Viaduct Harbour has cost so far and looking at the costs for development of roads and tunnel options through built-up areas, they are huge costs. If we had the money it would be absolutely wonderful ... but it is a balancing act."

Various public purses contributed $110 million towards developing the Viaduct Harbour in time for the first America's Cup defence. Infrastructure Auckland put in $60 million, the Auckland City Council $40 million and the Government $10 million.

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