A public meeting is to be held in May to discuss the impacts of the proposed six-storey Westbourne Grove apartments. Jane O’Loughlin reports.

A distinguished New Zealander is heading the call for more information to be disclosed to the Mt Victoria community regarding the development of the Mayfair apartment block, on Westbourne Grove.

Well-known film-maker Dame Gaylene Preston, who lives on nearby Austin Street, is helping to organise a public meeting to discuss the proposed development, as she says the community needs more information.

“It's a very unusual proposal for a two-year build, seeking consent to use a narrow private road for 650 ten-tonne trucks to cart Mt Victoria away to make building foundations, a swimming pool and an underground internal car park housing 32 private vehicles. 

“I understand the consent request intends pulling up the footpath currently used by 17 householders and their visitors. If granted, they will permanently lose foot path access to their homes.

“Is this appropriate practice?”

Preston was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film in 2019.

She hopes that a public meeting will allow those involved to discuss the long and short term implications of the Mayfair development.

The meeting will also feature a video showing aerial shots of the site, and the visual impact of the apartments.

The controversial apartment block is proposed to replace the stately but run-down ‘Westbourne’ house located at the end of Westbourne Grove.

According to advertising by developers Forma Group the ‘high end’ apartments will comprise 32 residences, including five ‘sub-penthouses’ and three penthouses.

The apartment block will also feature a heated outdoor pool, gymnasium and sauna.

However neighbours are concerned about losing sun, and those on Westbourne Grove are worried about the impacts on their narrow privately-owned accessway of an increased number of people and cars.

Forma Group has lodged a consent for the new development, and many in the local community have asked to be consulted on it.  At time of writing, the council’s decision on notification had not yet been released, but was due at the end of April, after many delays.