A $400 million-plus intensification of the North Shore’s Devonport town centre has been submitted for fast-track approval. Photo / Brett Phibbs
A $400 million-plus intensification of the North Shore’s Devonport town centre has been submitted for fast-track approval under the Government’s new law, ministerial documents show.
The Ministry for the Environment assessment of the Devonport town centre urban regeneration application provided the first in-depth details about plans by landowners Berridge Spencer, Mark Hiddleston and Graham Turley via their Peninsula Capital.
“The development has a value in excess of circa $400m, resulting from a significant increase in commercial, retail and residential floor area including optimising the capacity of the area through the development of existing under-utilised land while maintaining the character of Devonport,” the ministry document said.
In 2023, Spencer - son of the late John Spencer, once New Zealand’s richest man - and his two associates announced via Peninsula that they bought many village properties. Records showed those were valued at $40m-plus.
Spencer is heir to the paper-manufacturing Caxton fortune and Hiddleston and Turley are ex-ANZ chiefs.
Last month, the Fast-Track Approvals Bill passed its final reading in Parliament as one of the final items left on the Government’s fourth-quarter action plan and one of the core components of the coalition’s plan to speed up infrastructure development in New Zealand.
The proposal received significant criticism from environmental activists who believe it rode roughshod over protections.
Although the Devonport project was not included in the new act, a subsequent application can be made for it to be added without the law being amended because there is provision for further projects to be added.
A new map showed where the developers’ land is within the village. Properties front on to Victoria Rd, Clarence St, Wynyard St and behind Anne St.
The assessment said the application was for a master planned town centre, resulting in intensified urban housing and commercial regeneration on more than half a hectare.
The project on 6026sq m is planned to bring new urban housing, offices and shops to enhance the economic vibrancy of the local community, the ministry document said.
New buildings are planned as well as the integration, enhancement and adaptive re-use of many listed heritage buildings for intensified urban living, the ministry document said.
The project was considered by the independent advisory group to have submitted sufficient information for assessment, but the advisory group did not give it any kind of priority status or recommend for it to be included in the bill.
“The project will increase the supply of housing within the Devonport town centre. Currently there are very few housing opportunities,” the ministry document said.
“The project will address this by significantly increasing the number of dwellings within the town centre above the existing 13 dwellings.”
Initial master planning indicated about 103 dwellings.
The scheme had the potential to provide 18,000sq m of floor area, to accommodate 277 to 421 full-time equivalent jobs, an increase of 119 to 170 over today’s.
This offered permanent employment options for residents and support for retail and hospitality businesses, the document said.
The village has a library, hall and parking spaces which could be complemented by rejuvenated shops, food and beverage outlets, offices and other commercial services.
The fast-tracking application came from planner Vijay Lala, of consultants Tattico, and said landowners were Devonport Property Management via Devonport Property CP Wynyard, Devonport Property CPV, Devonport Property MPV and Devonport Property MP Clarence.
A master planned town centre urban regeneration project would also deliver tourism benefits, including new and refurbished heritage buildings, the Tattico application said.
It would also promote public transport usage due to increased development intensity adjacent to existing public transport networks.
Winning fast-track consenting meant it could start in 2025, reduce approval timeframes and costs associated with resource consenting for a five-stage project, Tattico said.
The owners had engaged consultants Cheshire Architects, Archifact, McIndoe Urban, Boffa Miskell and Tattico.
They were experienced in major urban renewal projects, Tattico said.
The project would happen over five to 10 years and it was hoped programming would be completed this July, Tattico said.
Heritage buildings were a focus.
“The applicant has engaged a heritage architect and several architects to provide advice and expertise on heritage and character matters,” Tattico said.
“This will ensure that the design outcomes will be respectful and complementary to the important heritage and character values of the project area and immediate locality.”
Tattico said Market Economics assessed the benefits of the project as:
In 2023, the Herald reported how Peninsula had bought the ex-Devonport Borough Council building at 3 Victoria Rd from the council’s Eke Panuku agency.
Most sites to be developed are bounded by the main street, Victoria Rd. Many also front Wynyard St - which runs parallel to that - and a side street of retail premises, cafes and bars on Clarence St.
The properties within the scheme, with 2021 council valuations, include:
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
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