Warning of playground for rich at Wynyard Pt

One of the twin 16m fountain towers in Chicago's Millennium Park

The Tank Farm will become a playground for the rich with the poor emptying the bins, says a provocative campaign being launched today by city retailers and businessmen.

There should be more open space and no apartments on the headland, says Heart of the City, which is urging Aucklanders to stand up and be counted on the largest waterfront development in the city's history.

The group, which represents 5000 city retailers and businesses, has set up a website and is running a series of advertisements designed to be provocative.

Among the headlines are "Of course the poor will be allowed in, who else will empty the bins" and "Hands up if your favourite colour is concrete".

Heart of the City chief executive Alex Swney said it was crucial for Aucklanders to make their voices heard on a concept plan by the Auckland City Council for the Tank Farm.

The council wants feedback by Friday to set the ground rules to rezone the marine industrial land for marine, commercial, residential and open space.

Greg McKeown, a former Auckland City councillor working on the Heart of the City campaign, said: "If you are walking through a park, what feels better? Open space with broad views of Waitemata Harbour to the east and west or walking through a park with a wall of apartments down one side?"

Mr McKeown said Heart of the City opposed plans by the council to build hundreds of apartments of four to six storeys on the publicly owned headland, which could be afforded only by the rich.

More generous space, such as at Chicago's Millennium Park, was needed, with large, green, open spaces, plazas and buildings that supported public use, he said.

Heart of the City did support council plans to locate the marine industry on 8ha on the western side of the Tank Farm, including the headland north of Jellicoe St, Mr McKeown said.

It could also go along with some residential and commercial development at the bottom of the headland.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said the northern half of the headland should be open space and include an outstanding public building. However, it would be irresponsible of the ARC, as stewards of the land, not to include some commercial and residential development.

The ARC owns 100 per cent of the port company through a subsidiary property arm, Auckland Regional Holdings. Profits from the port company are the ARC's main source of income for public transport and stormwater.

Ports of Auckland chief executive Geoff Vazey said there was "generous" public space set aside for the Tank Farm.

The port company had provided for 21 per cent of its land to be open space in its own plan, released last September. The legal requirement was 2 per cent. Mr Vazey said the public would see "more open space" when the port company released a modified concept plan in the first week of April.

He said apartments made it affordable to create open space, otherwise the project would be "very hard".

Heart of the City want Queens and Captain Cook wharves to be developed in conjunction with the Tank Farm. Queens Wharf is not due to be developed until 2015-2030 and Captain Cook Wharf until 2030-2040 or later. The wharves are used by Ports of Auckland for non-containerised goods such as used cars and bananas.

Mr Vazey said it was unrealistic to develop Queens and Captain Cook wharves at the same time.


Heart of the city

The lobby group wants:
* More public open space and no apartments on the Tank Farm headland.
* Queens and Captain Cook wharves developed in conjunction with the Tank Farm.
* Independent body to control waterfront development.


What do you think?

Aucklanders can have their say on the rules for the Tank Farm by expressing a view to the Auckland City Council before March 17.

The council wants feedback before notifying a district plan change on May 31 to rezone the land from marine industrial activities to a combination of marine, commercial, residential and open space use.

Once the plan change is notified and goes through the Resource Management Act process, the public will have further opportunities to comment. To get a feedback form, call the council on (09) 379-2020 or use the link below.