Red letter day for Britomart plan

Customs Charter House is a combination of a new office block and the existing, historic Charter House. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Auckland's $1 billion Britomart building restoration and redevelopment takes a step forward this week with the opening of a $140 million office building and recognition of a new lane.

Developer Cooper and Company will open the first part of Westpac's New Zealand headquarters for 650 staff.

Bank staff will occupy the now-finished Charter Customs Building, being opened this week, and the new East Building still under construction.

Charter Customs is a combination of two structures: a new eight-level office block built by Hawkins Construction joining the existing historic Charter House.

The buildings have been linked so the interiors appear as one, adding 2.4ha of refurbished and new office space to the city.

Cooper chief executive Matthew Cockram said the development was Britomart's first large new building and the 24,000sq m of commercial floorspace was spread over eight levels.

Westpac has moved staff into the twin-structure Charter Customs which has won a category four green-star rating for environmental efficiencies.

Charter Customs has been leased to Westpac New Zealand as its head office and North Island contact and operations centres.

The bank has also leased space in the new East Building next door which Hawkins is now part-way through building. Construction had this week reached level four of what will be a 13-storey building.

Westpac staff are leaving AMP's PricewaterhouseCoopers Tower on the central-city's Quay St as well as suburban office space in Onehunga, Penrose and Manukau for the new Britomart complex.

The new office building includes the restoration and integration of the heritage Charter House building at the intersection of Customs St East and Britomart Place.

Also ready for use is newly-created Roukai Lane, a permanent cobbled lane created as part of the larger area's redevelopment.

Three bars have opened along its edge and the lane became accessible in the last month.

Its entrance is off Customs St East between Urban Loft and The Barrow and the walkway ends at Galway St.

Not all of Britomart has gone according to plan, and this week Urban Loft was going downmarket.

In December, upmarket homeware store Eon Design shut on Customs St after going into receivership.

Briscoes Group managing director Rod Duke revealed yesterday how tougher economic times meant the Living & Giving brand would replace Urban Loft in Britomart.

The loft was Briscoe's entree into the top-end giftware and home goods market, but new store signs are now being erected as part of the rebranding move.

Mr Cockram said yesterday Britomart was going according to plan.

"Everything is happening on time as planned and with a lot of hard work. We expect to make huge progress this year," he said.