The well-known, yellow-shuttered building at 4 Victoria Avenue is under threat. Home to the Community Advice Bureau and Plunket Clinic, 4 Victoria Ave is owned by the Council, who are currently assessing development proposals for the property behind it. Behind this property is a larger, land-locked property on which the owner proposes to build an assisted living village for older people. This rear property – 356 Remuera Road – has right of access, via a widened driveway, over 4 Vicky Ave.
Last August, representatives from the Council-controlled development agency Panuku Development Auckland attended the RRA’s annual general meeting. There, it was mooted either to take no action, or to amalgamate the site and structure with the property developer, or to build a new, separate facility. Of these, the RRA committee favoured the ‘new facility’ option. At that time, Panuku said that they had done an initial financial feasibility assessment and would continue to investigate alternatives. A commitment was made at the meeting to initiate an assessment of community facility needs via consultation.
However, to date, the fate of our Community Services Centre at 4 Vicky Ave remains vague. Certainly, no stakeholder consultation on this important matter has yet taken place. The community are left wondering what lies ahead! We do not want to lose the valuable community services on this site – nor lose the opportunity to gain enhanced facilities for the future.
Pressed for an update on their plans for 4 Vicky Ave this month (November), the Auckland Council Community Services team has just advised that they will be working with Panuku on this project. A community needs assessment is to be conducted to gain input for the potential redevelopment of the 4 Victoria Avenue site. This will involve stakeholder engagement with the community – but they are not yet ready to progress this work. No timeframes for delivery have yet been set but they hope for completion by February 2017.
This update is pleasing: Earlier, in response to an enquiry from The Hobson Magazine* – from which much of this post is sourced – Panuku had said that it was not Council practice to engage directly with the community on feasibility assessments. All development options would be worked through the Orakei Local Board instead.
The RRA believes that the community should be consulted directly on this matter and has asked the Council to do so.
As our Chair, Iain Valentine told The Hobson: “This is a once in a generation chance to define Remuera’s community services needs. The Council showed foresight when they bought the 4 Victoria Avenue site. It’s a great disappointment that nothing has been developed in the 30 years since.”
The RRA sees opportunity for a multi-purpose facility at 4 Victoria Avenue that can accommodate meetings, art displays and the many other activities that would energise our community. Given the importance of this site to Remuera, residents and other key stakeholders should certainly have a direct say in the 4 Victoria Avenue planning process.
A public meeting to discuss community services in Remuera and development of the 4 Victoria Avenue property will be held at 7.30pm on 15 November, at St Paul’s Methodist Church hall, 12 St Vincent Avenue. All are welcome.
*See the article by Jessica-Belle Greer in “Town & Around” The Hobson magazine, November 2016 (p11)