Harbour vision wins applause

By KATHERINE HOBY and BERNARD ORSMAN

A utopian scheme for the Viaduct Harbour with an expanded Victoria Park running down to the harbour and twin giant fountains rising out of the water has won backing from interested parties and the public.

The scheme, unveiled by the Auckland Waterfront Advisory Group, would mean reclaiming more land at the Westhaven Marina breakwater to form a circle of land enclosing the waterfront.

Part of Fanshawe St would be put underground below Victoria Park, and a series of canals would carry the water farther into the Viaduct area. The Tank Farm would become an educational campus.

Auckland Mayor John Banks is excited by the idea of greening the area to the west of the Viaduct Harbour - "the beginning of something very big".

And St Marys Bay Association chairman Tony Skelton, whose organisation has contributed to the scheme, said it would be a centrepiece for Auckland.

Visiting American architect Eric Kuhne sketched the detailed master plan for 32ha on the waterfront. A British planning professor, Sir Peter Hall, was also involved.

At Viaduct Harbour, people the Herald spoke to were enthusiastic about an extended waterfront playground.

Katie Heather, of Parnell, liked how the plan pulled Victoria Park and the water together. "I hope we can get there. It looks like a lot of work, and a lot of money."

Cliff and Elizabeth Howard, of Ponsonby, were impressed by the vision and the twin fountains framing the skyline.

Rose Hunter, of Grey Lynn, called the scheme very futuristic and modern. "It would be great if they could do it."

Many Herald readers were also enthusiastic.

Brian Mannering, from Melbourne, called it "an incredible opportunity to put some 'meaningful' life into downtown Auckland".

He added: "And I don't mean a great stack of high-rise buildings for developers to do a money grab. Here is probably the only chance to create a large-scale precinct which would go some way to make a livable Auckland CBD, with world-class facilities."

Paul Ungemuth wrote: "Because this is such an important project, it is essential that we look at similar developments overseas. The best I've seen is the historic Victoria and Alfred Docks area in Cape Town, which is also a traditional stop-off point for the round-the-world yacht races."

Kevin Wright, of Taupaki, said: "The initial vision sounds promising but it lets Auckland down in a major way.

"There is an opportunity to create a stunning building on the Tank Farm for an entertainment-conference centre that Auckland so badly needs, yet the option put forward is for a university campus ...

"We could create on this land our equivalent to the Sydney Opera House, with huge benefits to all."

Julie Salthouse was also critical of the campus idea. "There are many existing tertiary facilities in the wider Auckland region that would be far more suited to special-needs learning, not to mention that two universities are virtually around the corner from the Viaduct."

Richard L. Fletcher says: "I liked the concept very much, the waterspouts, tunnel for Fanshawe St, etc.

"My question is (knowing how long Auckland takes to get things done): how long before it can be started and how soon will it then take to finish?

"I am 56 and would like to enjoy it, not hope that my grandchildren (who aren't born yet) might see it finished in their lifetime. Please keep encouraging the powers that be to get moving."

Stan Rose is pleased that at last "the grotesque Himalayan Tank Farm dividing artificially the world's finest inner-city marine arenas has been challenged with an inspired vision of total integration".

He calls the Victoria Park extension, the undergrounding of Fanshawe St and the inter-canal connections "superb concepts bordering on genius".

But he shares other readers' doubts about the campus plan. "Building campus structures, however, that create any sort of a barrier between the prime encompassing sea views and the park repeats past historical failures."

A group of New Zealand architects will now begin to refine the broad vision into a master plan, in consultation with public bodies and interest groups.

The advisory group's project director, John Whitehead, said consultation would take about 12 months, but changing the area would take 10 to 15 years.

He did not believe the scheme would fizzle out because the landowners themselves were behind it.

* Do you feel strongly about how the waterfront should be developed? E-mail your ideas to newsdesk@nzherald.co.nz