The Local - Mt VictoriaA Mt Cook couple who have had previous dealings with the developer of the new Mayfair apartment block in Mt Victoria’s Westbourne Grove say neighbours should be ‘worried’ if their experience is anything to go by. However the developer says lessons have been learned. Jane O’Loughlin investigates.
Campbell MacLean and Fiona Pearson live next to a townhouse development built by Mark Quinn in 2010.
The couple ended up in a long running dispute with the developer over unkept promises, breaches of resource consents, unintended impacts on their property, and parking problems.
“Everything that could have gone wrong with the development, actually did,” says MacLean.
Quinn’s Pencarrow Construction applied for resource consent for three townhouses at 1 Anderson Terrace in Mt Cook, starting in 2010.
MacLean and Pearson contacted the council with concerns over shading, parking and other matters.
At a council-facilitated meeting they say that Quinn and his architect provided assurances about the magnitude and impact of the build.
However when construction started in 2012, they found that four units instead of three were being built. The council subsequently apologised for not letting them know.
When construction started, earthworks were carried out contrary to the resource consent. This undermined the edge of the neighbouring property, leading to their boundary “falling into the jaws of the digger” during an excavation of the site. The council had to step in and issue an abatement notice, and require that professional supervision was in place for future work. According to the couple, extensive remedial work was required to stop the bank slipping and further undermining their property. They along with other neighbours were also affected by the years of construction and parking pressures.
Developer Mark Quinn, now of Forma Group, admits contractors made a mistake but says it was quickly rectified, and lessons were learned from the project that took place 12 years ago. The proposed six story apartment block to be built on Westbourne Grove would be different, he said.
“The construction of Mayfair will be undertaken by contractors who have significant experience in projects of a similar scale and type.”
And he provided reassurances that he was not seeking to increase the number of dwellings proposed on Westbourne Grove.
“For Mayfair, a resource consent application has been lodged with the final confirmed design featuring 32 units. This will not change unless the consenting authority deems it necessary.”
Meanwhile, neighbours are waiting for the Council to release its decision on the notification status of the Mayfair resource consent.
Quinn said he had ‘voluntarily’ included neighbouring properties on Austin Street as notified parties to this resource consent application.
“This provides them with full visibility of the consent process and a platform to be heard in respect of the application on all matters.”
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