Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Developers tried to convince council over changing city park plans

Nikki Preston
By Nikki Preston
NZ Herald·
24 May, 2018 11:54 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Victoria on the River opened earlier this and Hamilton mayor Andrew King is leading plans to expand it to Embassy Park beside the proposed new theatre. Photo / Tom Rowland

Victoria on the River opened earlier this and Hamilton mayor Andrew King is leading plans to expand it to Embassy Park beside the proposed new theatre. Photo / Tom Rowland

The developers given the heads up about expanding Hamilton's Victoria on the River engaged architects early on in the hope of working with the council on the plans they wanted.

Documents released to the Herald under the Official Information Act reveal Foster commercial director Leonard Gardner emailed Hamilton City Council about a proposal for the design work a week after being told of the mayor's vision.

They then met with the council's chief executive Richard Briggs about their plans, but it did not go any further as mayor Andrew King disagreed with their idea to include some buildings in the area.

Hamilton City Council's processes around approaching two property developers Foster commercial director Leonard Gardner and Stark Properties owner Matt Stark about buying properties to expand the inner city park Victoria on the River before any one else are currently being reviewed by Audit New Zealand. The process involves city councillors being interviewed and the council will not confirm when it will be completed.

In an email dated October 6, Gardner forwarded Briggs an email from Auckland-based architect firm Jasmax with a scoping proposal for the area.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Thanks for the catch up today. What a fantastic opportunity. We are looking forward to working with you, Matt (Stark) and council on this masterplan project," the Jasmax email said.

The email, sighted by the Herald, outlined a brief to create a masterplan for the area between Embassy Park and Victoria on the River consolidating the existing creative precinct and including complimentary activities including an art gallery.

Briggs replied to Gardner's email saying: "Basically we talked about a high level map and some cross out and sketching on. Andrew (King) isn't keen on any activation so we need to push him before we pursue."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When asked about the email, Briggs told the Herald the developers had offered to get some designs for their vision at their cost to pitch to him and the mayor and the council had not been involved in the Jasmax discussions.

"My advice to Leonard was not to pursue anything until they had tested (pushed) Mayor Andrew on whether there could be a compromise."

A meeting in mid-October between Briggs and the developers confirmed there plans were "drastically different" to the mayor's giant park, he said.

So Briggs, with the approval of the council, then commissioned Hamilton-based Edwards White Architects to draw up some designs for the expanded park based on the idea that council would buy and bowl numbers 220 to 266 on Victoria St.

Discover more

New Zealand

Mayor's role in Hamilton city park expansion process criticised

27 Jul 06:25 AM

Gardner said he and Stark had only spent about $5000 on preliminary plans for the area to come up with plans as they believed there should be buildings in the area. The did not contract any further work when they realised the mayor disagreed.

"It was really just me and Matt getting some ideas because we disagreed with... the original conversation from the council was a park, purely a green grass park, and that wasn't really the best way to activate that community area there."

Briggs has previously said he only approached Stark and Gardner about their willingness to sell buildings in the proposed area but backed off after learning they had their own ideas, despite being asked by council to approach the 36 property owners in the area.

While Gardner denied knowing anything about the council's plan to expand the park when approached by the Herald in November.

Property developers set up company to buy buildings after told council interested in them

Plans to bowl Hamilton's Victoria St buildings for giant park

Audit NZ confirms it will review 'unusual' process taken by Hamilton City Council over new urban park

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap

Waikato Herald

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail

Sport

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap
Waikato Herald

Man high on mushrooms crashes car into garage, with a preschooler on his lap

The garage collapsed on top of Freeman Ruhe's vehicle but the pair escaped injury.

14 Jul 08:00 AM
'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail
Waikato Herald

'A newfound faith': Rapist says the Lord will help him as he’s sent to jail

14 Jul 07:00 AM
Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes
Sport

Netball: Magic narrowly lose to Pulse after scores still tied in final minutes

14 Jul 04:28 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP