A controversial high-rise development has been approved in Mt Victoria in Wellington, despite strong opposition from neighbours.
The proposal for the seven-storey, 32-unit Mayfair apartment block was lodged in late 2024, after the Wellington City Council relaxed rules about what couldbe built in character areas.
In his decision, Commissioner Alistair Aburn said the proposal’s effects on townscape were “acceptable and consistent with the outcomes anticipated under the recently revised and now operative District Plan (2024) provisions, which provide for residential buildings of at least six storeys in the high density residential zone”.
He found any adverse effects on the Elizabeth St heritage area would be “less than minor and therefore be acceptable”.
Opponents to the development include film-maker Dame Gaylene Preston and former Wellingtonian of the Year Ralph Highman.
An artist's impression of the seven-storey apartment building, Mayfair, that is proposed for Wellington's Mt Victoria. Photo / Supplied / One to One Hundred
Highman shares a private road with the development.
He said 25,000 truck movements were planned over two years in the construction of the apartment block, and neighbours had safety and access concerns.
“One of the developers’ main plans has been to rip up the pedestrian pathway to try and make it safer. I mean, on what kind of planet does ripping up a pedestrian pathway make a driveway safer? If you’ve got your kids walking up and down that driveway to school each day, obviously, that’s a big concern.”
Preston is a long-time Mt Victoria resident. She said the development would require extensive geotech work, which was “crazy” given recent weather events.
“Particularly in light of what happened last weekend in Tauranga and other places in New Zealand... Hauling 5000cu m of Mt Victoria out from the mountain, it’s on a slope, and carting it away down a shared driveway on 10-tonne trucks, with permission to do that over two years... I think that is a crazy sort of development to be putting there.”
In his decision, Aburn acknowledged there could be “no debate” the proposal would involve substantial earthworks over the majority of the site.
Council officials had noted those earthworks had the “potential to result in adverse effects in terms of site stability, erosion and sediment control, dust emissions and visual effects”.
However, a council engineer had reviewed a geotechnical assessment provided by the applicant and concluded the earthworks effects, “including site stability, erosion and sediment run-off”, and dust emissions could be appropriately managed during the construction phase.
Aburn said he was also satisfied the visual effects of the proposal would be limited to the construction stage and would be “fully mitigated” once the building and site landscaping had been completed.
It was appropriate the final shared driveway layout and detailed design plans were provided to affected residents, he said, and he invited them to forward comments to the council’s compliance monitoring officer.
Highman said opponents now had 15 days to decide whether to appeal the decision to the Environment Court.
The developer of the Mayfair apartment block, Forma Group, was approached for comment.
