Downtown Auckland gets uptown facelift

By BERNARD ORSMAN

New York-style loft apartments, shops selling global fashion brands such as Armani and a public square with tapa pattern-inspired paving are part of a $350 million transformation of the seedy Britomart precinct in downtown Auckland.

Nine months after the $211 million Britomart transport centre opened to architectural and public acclaim, the Auckland City Council yesterday unveiled a makeover for 5.2ha above the railway station. The nearby Viaduct Harbour development covers 8ha.

Seventeen Victorian and Edwardian heritage buildings, with their origins in the once-thriving waterfront, are to be restored as part of a new low-rise urban village to bring apartments, offices, restaurants, shops, hotels and a grand, sunny public square into the derelict zone.

Six new buildings, a narrow new pedestrian lane based on upper Vulcan Lane and high quality streetscapes complete the picture, dreamed up by American-born architect Mario Madayag and being completed by American-based developer Peter Cooper.

A local architectural practice, Jasmax, has been intimately involved along the way, from masterplan to transport centre to urban village. Former Jasmax architect Pip Cheshire is lead architect for the urban village.

Work will begin in the next few months cleaning the historic buildings and a start made fitting out the upper floors of the old Chief Post Office. The Barrington Building, Sofrana House and Levy Building on Customs St at the Queen St end will be the first historic buildings to be renovated.

The Barrington and Sofrana Buildings will be converted into the first heritage boutique hotel in central Auckland by this time next year. The Levy Building will become a boutique office building.

Work will also begin shortly on turning the 1903 Wharf Police Station building at the other end of Britomart into a restaurant.

Mr Cooper, who is bringing mixed-use property development skills honed in the United States to Britomart, said that subject to market conditions, Britomart would be completed in five years.

The contract is to complete the project within 11 years when penalty clauses kick in. Three senior council officers will supervise all the work with a power of veto.

The council, under former mayor Les Mills, bought the historic buildings in 1994 with plans to bulldoze many of them for a massive high and low rise commercial development. In 1998, Christine Fletcher seized the mayoralty on a rethink Britomart platform and canned the Mills scheme in favour of the present transport centre and low-rise urban village.

Present mayor John Banks has heralded Britomart as being about transport, urban renewal and preserving the city's heritage - after being a vocal critic of the transport centre.

Mr Banks said Britomart was a cornerstone of the council's downtown redevelopment plans, which include the purchase last week by the Government of Westhaven marina, a $23.4 million upgrade of Queen St and plans to buy more waterfront land and build a $68 million indoor arena at Quay Park, a few hundred metres east of Britomart.

Under the deal with the Bluewater Consortium, the council will be paid $28 million for a 150-year lease on the historic buildings and a renewable 50-year lease on the new buildings.

Bluewater Consortium:
Britomart precinct overall site plan