Council says Viaduct land should remain public

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Syndicate row at the Viaduct Harbour should stay in public ownership and not become apartments for the rich, says the Auckland City Council.

The seven publicly owned syndicate bases on Halsey St should be kept for boating regattas and other marine events whether or not Team New Zealand retain the America's Cup, the council's recreation and events committee decided yesterday.

A report last month by property consultants Jones Lang LaSalle on the impact of the America's Cup on real estate markets said that even if Team New Zealand win the cup the pressure will be intense to use the land for expensive apartments.

The council has different ideas and is moving to extend its ownership of land and water management rights at the Viaduct Harbour.

As well as urging Infrastructure Auckland to hold on to the seven bases, the council is negotiating through subsidiary America's Cup Village Ltd with Ports of Auckland to buy land on the eastern viaduct where the Telecom pavilion is located and outside the Maritime Museum.

The council owns the section of wharf at the end of the eastern viaduct, known as Te Wero Island. It believes it would make sense to own the eastern viaduct, which is critical for public events at the Viaduct.

Recreation and events committee chairman Scott Milne said the council would be "shouting mighty hard" to keep the bases in public ownership because Aucklanders recognised that the growing soul in the city centred around the Viaduct Harbour.

Infrastructure Auckland chairman John Robertson will not rule out selling the bases on Halsey St to developers, saying "we are there to try to maximise value from that property". But Mr Robertson said it was too early to say what would happen to the bases.

Infrastructure Auckland would take into account the work of the Auckland Waterfront Advisory Group (Awag), which is drawing up plans to develop the land from the Viaduct Harbour to Westhaven Marina.

Awag critics have accused the group of being a front for developers.

Work has started on a 29-unit apartment building on the log farm at the southwestern end of the harbour. It is home to four syndicates and a further three apartment buildings are due by 2005. The land is privately owned by Viaduct Harbour Holdings and is being developed by Melview Developments.

Tony Bouzaid, who is fighting Awag plans to replace the marine industry with a glittering array of apartments and cafes on waterfront land, welcomed the council's plans.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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