Contractors have been removing asbestos and trimming trees over the past month at the site of former St Mary's Hospital in Onerahi. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Contractors have been removing asbestos and trimming trees over the past month at the site of former St Mary's Hospital in Onerahi. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Seventeen years after the luxury housing plans of an Auckland company failed, new property owners of the old St Mary's Hospital site are having a go at developing the Onerahi prime location.
More than two decades after St Mary's Hospital's decommissioning, there is movement again on the 1.85 hectares ofland at the end of St Marys Pl in Onerahi.
The Advocate understands that current property owners Kamo Home and Retirement Village Charitable Trust are considering a property development at the site.
Some works on the land were carried out in the past month which nearby residents were notified of.
The trust did not want to comment with further details at this stage.
It's not the first time property developers had plans for the land, which offers undisturbed views over Whangārei Harbour.
The semi-demolished ruins of St Mary's Hospital burned down in 2007. Photo / John Stone
In 2005, Auckland-based development company St Mary's Close Ltd applied to Whangārei District Council for resource consent to build a 36-apartment complex with two three-storey buildings and a recreation section with a heated swimming pool, gymnasium and outdoor tennis court.
Onerahi residents raised concerns then about the proposal, saying the development could lead to overcrowding of the neighbourhood, damage to bush and vegetation and increased traffic.
Neighbours were also worried that excavation works could cause damage to other properties as well as drainage issues.
The property at the end of St Mary's Pl is considered prime location with undisturbed harbour views. Image / Google Maps
The north-eastern side of the land connects to a steep slope which joins onto a row of houses below on Whangārei Heads Rd.
Council said then the development would have adverse effects on the privacy of these property owners.
The plans were rejected because they didn't align with the council district plan.
While it's not clear what kind of development the trust is planning for the site, Onerahi residents have previously spoken in favour of retirement housing for their community.
However, the concerns about the impact a development might have on neighbouring properties remain.
Annie Munro had bought her house below the St Mary's Hospital site on Whangārei Heads Rd around the time the 2005 proposal was made.
Her section, including the steep slope leading up to St Mary's, joins directly onto the land.
She explained that water collecting at the top of the hill was running off the slope and down her land and the neighbouring properties.
Unless developers install drainage that will redirect runoff to St Mary's Pl – which it used when the hospital was still standing – Munro is concerned that a development would have detrimental effects on all properties at the bottom of the hill.
"I would like to know the size of the development. How stable is their land and my land? How much machinery will they use? And how much pressure will it put on the land?"
The landscape gardener has been planting the slope to stabilise the soil and absorb some of the runoff but she believes this might not be enough if earthworks and construction up above are not taking the impact on the Whangārei Heads Rd properties into consideration.
The semi-demolished ruins of St Mary's Hospital burned down in 2007. Photo / John Stone
Roger Quinton, WDC's acting manager for RMA Consents, said the land is zoned as general residential and a multi-unit residential development would require a resource consent.
According to Quinton, it could be achievable if well designed and taking into account things like privacy, amenity and sunlight access and being generally consistent with the character and amenity values within the zone.
Developers would also have to take into account a coastal area overlay that applies to a portion of the land as well as a "high natural character area" adjoining and within the edge of the land.
"Additional design controls apply to the coastal and high natural character area parts of the land, including controls on building scale and form, earthworks and vegetation clearance," Quinton said.
"The design would need to address these aspects to ensure an appropriate outcome for the environment."
Parts of the site are also mapped for flood hazards – particularly along the Whangārei Heads Rd frontage – and high instability.
"These matters would need to be addressed through appropriate engineering design solutions."
