KEY POINTS:
Milford residents prefer a distinctive low-rise village to a proposed expanded shopping centre with multi-storey apartments, says a Residents' Association survey.
The survey on preferred building heights showed that over half of those surveyed favoured retaining the status quo of two-storey buildings, said association president Peter Carter.
"There is overwhelming rejection of intensive high-rise buildings proposed by the owners of Milford Mall," he said.
"People fear they will destroy the unique community environment of Milford, surrounded by estuary, lake and beach.
"Many local residents accept the need for some intensive building but the community desires to retain the sense of village and keep high-rise buildings in the Takapuna sub-regional centre."
This week, the mall owner is seeking resource consent from North Shore City Council for the second of three proposed development stages.
More than 70 objections have been made to this stage.
A council planning report says the design was revised after the council expressed concerns, and recommends that it be given consent. The proposal will result in the northeastern carpark being replaced by 15 townhouses of two and three storeys fronting Milford and Ihumata Rds.
Additional retail floor area and a rooftop carpark will be in behind these on the present carpark.
The aim was to regenerate the medium-sized mall by increasing the number and variety of shops. Objectors say the proposal is out of scale and character and oppose removal of a 3m landscape strip. However, the council report says potential adverse effects on character and amenity are minor.
In the third stage, the developer will seek a change to the District Plan to allow three buildings with between six and 15 floors for living.
Mr Carter said that after a year of discussions between the mall owners, city council and Auckland Regional Council, there had been no public consultation.
This cut across the Ministry for the Environment's urban design which called for community input into proposals.
