An application has been lodged to set in place a high-intensity apartment building on Orakei Point. This will form the core of a developer’s planned residential complex on Orakei Bay.
The proposed building is an eight-level apartment block, comprising 30 units. The application contemplates a basement car park, a car park at ground level and up to seven levels of apartments.
The site location for this development is effectively the Kings Plant Barn retail and car park area on Orakei Point. Clearly, what is proposed is a very large structure which – as the grainy concept illustration of the view from Ngapipi Road above shows – will dominate the surrounding landscape.
The applicant – OP Trustee Limited – has lodged an Assessment of Environmental Effects which requests that the proposed apartment development be NON -Notified. It says the only affected parties are really Kiwi Rail and the Ports of Auckland or other parties in adjoining sites for which it has a management relationship with and, as such, is authorised agent for. It concludes those parties are not effected for the sake of a notification decision in any event.
Many people – including your Committee disagree. They feel very strongly that this development should be subject to public notification.
The sole shareholder of OP Trustee Limited is Equinox Capital Limited, developers of Orakei Bay Village retail precinct.
The Orakei Point development has a long and controversial development history.