By STACEY BODGER
The Auckland City Council could be seen to be siding with Westfield's proposed Newmarket mega mall if it sold air rights to the developer, a public meeting to oppose the mall was told yesterday.
Most of the 200 people at the meeting, organised by the Newmarket Protection Society, were strongly opposed to Westfield's plans for an 11-level, $450 million mall.
The complex, on the former Mercury Energy site fronting onto Remuera Rd, would be at least twice the size of the St Lukes mall and would house up to 260 shops, 12 movie theatres and two supermarkets.
Westfield wants to use council-owned air space over Nuffield St, off Remuera Rd, to build a five-storey "air bridge."
But Newmarket Business Association chairman Darryl Henry said that if the council made the air space available to Westfield only, it would become a "commercial participant" in the mall, to the detriment of existing businesses.
Mr Henry said the association was not opposed to the mall because it feared competition. It was against Westfield's getting a helping hand from the council that no one else had received, if the council sold the air space - which it has no obligation to do.
Mr Henry said the sheer size of the proposed mall was too much and it would not integrate with the existing, vibrant Broadway retail strip, which was the envy of many cities in New Zealand.
"It will drain the vitality out of Newmarket," he said.
Remuera resident David Harrison said Newmarket's existing streets would not cope with the increased traffic the mall would attract.
"There will not be one resident of Newmarket and Remuera who will not suffer if this goes ahead," he said.
The protection group urged residents to call councillors at home during weekends to make their views known, and to get support for a petition that was circulated at the meeting.
They were told not to be mollified by the council's reassurances that residents' views would be heard.
Last week, the Herald revealed that a consultant's report had criticised the proposed mall for being at odds with Newmarket's character.
The report, prepared for the council by consultancy Barry Rae Transurban, analysed Westfield's submission.
It said the mall's visual impact would be "significantly adverse," and that Westfield's concept plan failed to allow for continuous public access through the area.
Mega mall opponents fear council air sell-off
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