Kiwi rejigs Sylvia Park design

Cranes dominate the Sylvia Park site in Mt Wellington. Picture / Richard Robinson

The $1.2 billion developer Kiwi Income Property Trust is altering part of the design of its $538 million Sylvia Park project in Auckland.

The shopping/office scheme is New Zealand's largest property development, with plans for 5.6ha of shops, cinemas, offices, entertainment areas and public amenities and parking for 3081 vehicles.

After demolishing World War II Army storage sheds last year, Kiwi is now well into the construction of the shopping precinct on the site alongside the Southern Motorway.

This week, the company lodged an application with Auckland City to change aspects of plans for its vast Pak 'N Save supermarket at the northern end of the 21ha Mt Wellington site. The supermarket will be almost 0.7ha and, although Kiwi had permission to build it, significant changes have since been made.

Planning consultants Barker & Associates said the changes were made after Kiwi held discussions with the council's Sylvia Park Urban Design Implementation Group, whose members are planning representatives Penny Pirrit, Joanna Smith, Ian Smallburn and Graeme Michie. Professor John Hunt, chairman of the council's Urban Design Panel, is also a member.

The group was formed in February and is a collaborative forum which tackles urban design issues on the Sylvia Park project.

After discussions, Kiwi now plans to:

* Extend a service area on the side of the supermarket from 400sq m to 900sq m, with the potential to add a second storey, which could be used as offices.

* Change a ring road layout around the supermarket. The road would be shifted 12m to the north.

* Alter the building's facade so the bulk of the building is transformed from a simple rectangular box into what one consultant termed "a gently gabled shed with generous eaves, more wall glazing and a first- floor-level staff balcony, cantilevered out towards the west".

A report from consultant Clinton Bird Urban Design showed the changes were an improvement on the first set pf plans.

"The combined supermarket and northern ring road design will provide a higher-quality catalyst for the future development and intensification of the somewhat rundown and low-density nature of the surrounding residential areas to the north and west," the consultant concluded, noting Kiwi had consulted Auckland City and a design panel representative before lodging its application.

A report from consultants Marshall Day Acoustics also supported the changes, saying revisions to the supermarket project would not cause any more noise for nearby houses than the initial plans.

Barker & Associates said the changes were positive and no adverse effects would result so they sought resource consent on a non-notified basis.

Ian Smallburn, a senior planner for resource consents, agreed and said the application should be processed on a non-notified basis.

The council said after Kiwi had 3ha of its buildings on the site occupied, it had to pay $750,000 plus GST as its development financial contribution.

This money would be spent on improving the Panmure/Mt Wellington/Sylvia Park community.

The work had to be discussed between Kiwi and Auckland City and might include creating new children's play areas, street landscaping, paving and furniture, pedestrian facilities and environmental improvements.

Sylvia Park centre

It is on a narrow 3km-wide isthmus section between Tamaki River and Manukau Harbour.

Planning work began in 1999. The site is about to become home to 5.6ha of buildings.

It is now a post-demolition construction site, dominated by cranes.

The fashion and supermarket precinct is due to open next July.

An entertainment precinct with cinemas will open in March 2007.