Disappearing views blamed on city council

Residential units in the Harvard (front) in the Hobson St have lost a lot of their prized sea views as the 512-apartment Zest tower (rear) has been going up in Nelson St. Picture / Martin Sykes

Robert Holden sold his Harvard apartment development in Hobson St as having stunning Auckland views. Soon the main views will be of Mr Holden's neighbouring Zest apartment building.

"Those properties we never sold [or] represented that they had views at all," said Mr Holden from Sydney, where he runs Conrad Properties, the biggest builder of apartment towers in central Auckland.

According to Conrad's website, Harvard offered "stunning views of Sky Tower and of Auckland City" to go with "sharp, timeless design".

Sky Tower views remain, but many of the 209 apartments have lost prized sea views to the huge 512-apartment Zest tower nearly completed next door.

It's not the first time Mr Holden, a former Auckland real estate agent, has built out views. His C-Vu, a 12-storey apartment block, took the views of the 57-unit Avoka apartment block in 2002 after the council agreed no one would be adversely affected.

At the time, Mr Holden said he was simply obeying the rules.

"We're change merchants and people don't like change. They fear the unknown," he said.

Since C-Vu, Conrad Properties has built the Stanford and Harvard apartment towers in Hobson St and nearly finished the Zest in Nelson St and Altitude on the corner of Hobson St and Kingston St.

Work has started on the 417-apartment Volt building on the prime Mayoral Drive and Queen St corner and Conrad is marketing the Aura on the corner of Nelson and Cook Sts. The seven buildings total more than 1800 relatively inexpensive investment apartments.

Mr Holden says all the buildings meet council controls and building standards, and Conrad has kept out of the 18sq m to 20sq m "shoebox" market.

Volt and Aura have been before Auckland City Council's urban design panel and undergone major changes to make them more attractive, particularly at street level.

The Herald has been investigating apartment developments in the city after councillors and architects began debating the merits of the growth of residential high-rises.

Mr Holden applauds the introduction of the urban design panel about two years ago but the tone drops when asked if he is proud of what he has done for the city. "We have built a significant number of good, workable inner-city apartments."

Conrad had set "very rigorous rules in terms of controls of the body corporates: no washing on the outside, no animals," Mr Holden said.

Asked why there was washing on the balconies of the Harvard, less than a year after it opened, he replied: "We set the ground rules but we rely on the manager and body corporate to enforce those provisions."

Martin Dunn, head of apartment sales specialist City Sales, has refused to sell Conrad projects off the plans and was applauded at a Property Council dinner last August for criticising the narrow walkways and low handrails at the Harvard.

Mr Holden hit back, saying the block was safe and had a full code of compliance certificate.

Mr Dunn said his beef was not so much with the developers and their apartment blocks but the council, which had to be "dragged kicking and screaming into reality".

"We have just steered off a frightening path where I have been demanding that we can have a Sydney or a Brixton, and we are not going to have a Brixton," he said.

Nigel Cook, of the architectural lobby group Urban Auckland, agrees: "Whoever in the council made the rules is really to blame."

Mr Cook believed only three developers had a true understanding of how the city should be built: Andrew Krukziener, best known for Metropolis; Nigel McKenna, whose work includes Beaumont Quarter and developments at Viaduct Harbour, and "the best of the lot", Richard Didsbury, who built the Vero high-rise in Shortland St.

Conrad apartment buildings

C-Vu Apartments: Corner Day St and Beresford St. 130 one- and two-bedroom, 12 storeys. Non-notified. Completed September 2003.
'One of the most colourful, even idiosyncratic properties it has been our pleasure to present.'

Harvard Apartments: 147 Hobson St. 209 two-, three- and four-bedroom, 12 storeys. Non-notified. Completed June 2004.
'Harvard on Hobson delivers sharp, timeless design'

Stanford Apartments: 189 Hobson St. 116 two-, three- and four-bedroom, 13 storeys. Non-notified. Completed July 2004.
'Unsurpassed quality'

Zest Apartments: 72-78 Nelson St. 512 one-, two- and three-bedroom, 15 storeys. Non-notified. Due for completion August 2005.
'Zest becomes your haven within the city'

Altitude Apartments: cnr Kingston St & Hobson St. 212 one- and two-bedroom apartments, 20 storeys. Non-notified. Almost completed
'For tenants who will love to live here'

Volt Apartments: cnr Mayoral Drive & Queen St. 417 two-bedroom apartments. Non-notified. Construction started in February, due for completion 2007.
'Secure you apartment with only $1000 using your credit card'

Aura Apartments: cnr Nelson St & Cook St. 220 two-bedroom apartments. Non-notified. Still being marketed.
'Every aspect covered, from the location to the quality construction'