Ugly BP oil tanks set for removal

BP Oil is setting an example for other fuel companies by removing six storage tanks from the western reclamation.

A year after saying it would close its Freemans Bay depot, the site leased from Ports of Auckland Ltd has been sold.

BP will not disclose the buyer.

But it is calling for tenders for removal of the tanks and expects them to be gone within three months.

The move follows approval for a firm to drape fabric covers carrying advertising logos over seven chemical tanks in time for the America's Cup.

But it could be decades before the reclamation is cleared of the remainder of the unsightly tank farm, so near the American Express NZ Cup Village, city office blocks and apartment buildings.

Freemans Bay residents and civic leaders have pushed for the tank farm's relocation for decades, fearing the dangers posed by the storage and movement of hazardous chemicals and fuels.

The tank farm is also viewed by many as an eyesore, undermining the multimillion-dollar harbour and gulf tourism industry.

But remaining oil companies are in no hurry to move.

Their leases with Ports of Auckland do not expire until between 2016 and 2026.

The chairwoman of the Western Bays Community Board, Catherine Hawley, said BP's departure was like the moon landing - "one small step."

"Any advance is good. The problem is it could be negated if a company involved in similar uses moves in."

She would like to see the Auckland City Council signal its intention eventually to end the dangerous goods designation and find an alternative site.

The council is due to consider the tank farm's future in its central city district plan review. The chapter on the western reclamation will be the subject of public hearings before the end of the year, and a large number of submissions are expected.

But there are huge obstacles to the removal of the tank farm - apart from the long-term leases.

The reclamation's Wynyard Wharf is the region's only deepwater berth next to a major fuel installation.

There is no alternative site capable of storing the kind of hazardous materials held there, and establishing one would take years of planning and consultation under the Resource Management Act.

"Nobody wants it, but we don't know where else to put it. It is a necessary part of Auckland's infrastructure and a part of the operating port," one port official said yesterday.

The Deputy Mayor of Auckland, Dr Bruce Hucker, who argued for years as a Freemans Bay councillor for the tank farm's demise, said BP's departure was a good start.

But a key to redevelopment was the intended use of the site by the new, unknown, leaseholder.

Catherine Hawley said it was ironic that the council had approved the proposal for ads on the tank farm - "dressing them up like daffodils when there are nasties underneath."