Space for all the family on a working wharf

As a working wharf there'll be plenty of maritime activity to watch.

The first significant plans for the Tank Farm development are coming together to create an entertainment precinct and waterfront promenade for the 2011 Rugby World Cup festivities.

The plans are separate from the development of Queens Wharf, which is being turned into "party central" for the cup.

Sea + City, the public body developing the 29ha Tank Farm west of downtown Auckland, is seeking resource consent for the first works on Jellicoe St and North Wharf.

The plan is to narrow Jellicoe St, impose a 25km/h speed limit and have generous tree-lined pathways to cater for outdoor dining and bicycles.

The historic North Wharf is to be widened, highlighting features like old railway tracks, and kept as a working wharf for the city's fishing fleet.

Sea + City has applied for a separate resource consent for the land between Jellicoe St and the wharf.

Architects Fearon Hay won a design competition for the "North Wharf" building that encompasses an existing wharf shed with extensions on either side.

John Dalzell, chief executive of Sea + City, said the Jellicoe St area would unlike anything else on the waterfront as it would have a raw, industrial feel tied to fishing and marine industries.

"Because of the look and feel, it will be quite different," he said. "The idea of keeping an industrial look and having that juxtaposed with the Fearon Hay building that complements a heritage shed in the middle."

Mr Dalzell said there would be two spaces along Jellicoe St - the promenade on the wharf with the theatre of the boats, and the street itself, a little bit more secluded and sheltered.

The eastern end of Jellicoe St is the first stage of works for the overall Jellicoe St planned to be developed by 2011 at a cost of $107 million.

Mr Dalzell envisages Jellicoe St/North Wharf/Silo Park becoming an all-day destination for families, unlike "party central" at Queens Wharf, expected to draw crowds of up to 20,000 fans.

Under the ad hoc governance structure for the waterfront, the Auckland City Council is building a $31.8 million marine events centre nearby on the site of the old Team New Zealand bases in Halsey St.

Details of the resource consent application are on the council website at www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/jellicoestreet.

DESIGN RECIPE FOR JELLICOE ST

* Create a truly civic waterfront promenade.
* Bring the kind of landscape, fun, family and recreation experiences that draws people to places like Mission Bay.
* Foster engagement with authentic maritime experiences.
* Enable the area to communicate its history.