Council encourages six storeys

Council encourages six storeys

The controversial proposal for an apartment block at the end of Westbourne Grove in Mt Victoria appears to have been influenced by discussions between the developer and the Wellington City Council.

Neighbours concerned about the impact of a new 30-block apartment building in their area believe the council encouraged the developer, Forma Group, to switch from initial plans for townhouses to a larger tower style block with more units.

Both the council and developer are coy on the matter but indicate that those discussions did play a part.

The council confirmed that it ‘articulated’ to the developer the fact that the new District Plan has resulted in the Austin Street area is a high-density zone that allows for buildings of six stories, or 22 metres.

“Ultimately decisions regarding the size of the development are up to the developer, but given Wellington’s housing crisis, developers of multi-unit applications are encouraged to maximise the potential of the site,” a council spokesperson said.

The council said this is in line with the Government’s policy of wanting more housing in the urban areas of New Zealand.

“The purpose of the National Policy Statement – Urban Development is to enable development by maximising the benefits of intensification. Therefore, six stories will support this Government policy statement.”

Mark Quinn of Forma Group said that ‘a number of options’ are evaluated for a given site, and they engaged early with the council regarding those options, as encouraged by the council.

“We don’t see it that Council has an agenda for this property, or any other property that we have developed.  Instead, our experience with Council is that initial feedback is generally sought and given regarding the potential options that we identify for a particular site, and what parts of the District Plan might need consideration in respect of those.”

Forma Group’s proposal for the apartment block has been controversial due to the height of the building located on an elevated part of Mt Victoria, the shading it will cause on neighbouring houses, the narrow private road access to the site itself, and its location against the green belt.

Neighbours have engaged lawyers to explore options to prevent it going ahead.

The council says it has yet to evaluate the proposal.

“An application is yet to be received. When it is, the effects of the proposal will be assessed in relation to neighbouring properties, in line with the discretion of the District Plan.”

The council said that buildings less than six stories are still permitted in the high density zone.