KEY POINTS:
A year after the Auckland City Council cut down two box elders in central Auckland for a loading zone outside a building site, the developer is having second thoughts about the project.
Council arborists toppled the 10m tall trees in O'Connell St at the top of Vulcan Lane to give developer Paul Doole a temporary construction and loading zone to refurbish and extend Commercial Union House with six new storeys of apartments. He has paid the council $6750 to replace the trees once the project is completed.
Mr Doole yesterday said his plans were up in the air but maintained the trees had to go regardless of whether he built apartments or refurbished the building.
The loading bay had been used during demolition work on the site, he said.
In an email to lawyer Ray Parmenter on November 23, Mr Doole said he did not intend to proceed with the apartments and would refurbish the existing office space, which would "considerably reduce the scope of intended works".
Andrew Bishop, who operates Feline fashion store from Commercial Union House, said axing the 12-year-old trees was premature and should not have happened before Mr Doole had finalised his plans and all the building and resource consents were in place.
At the time, the trees' removal angered local businesses and Save Auckland Trees, the group that fought to save the threatened trees in Queen St. "We have had a street with no trees for almost 12 months," Mr Bishop said.
"They chopped the heart out of what used to be a pretty little street. And for what?"
Council planner Karen Long said normally if a building was going to be refurbished internally there would be no need for a loading zone for site access and the removal of trees.
"We were asked by the developer in early December to put the resource consent for the refurbishment of the building on hold while they reviewed options on whether to proceed with the project.
"We will be replacing the trees at the developer's cost as agreed, but await further advice from him on what he proposes to do with the building before we commit to installing them."
