AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

24 August 2007

Plan change to protect inner city character

A desire to protect character buildings in central Auckland that do not necessarily meet heritage criteria has led to the introduction of new rules on demolishing pre-1940s buildings.

Auckland City Council last night confirmed plan changes 5 and 8 that require resource consents to demolish all pre-1940 buildings in the Queen Street valley and Karangahape Road precincts, as well as character buildings outside these areas that have been identified as contributing to the streetscape.

Around 140 buildings in the inner precincts and 80 outside are affected by these rules.

“These plan changes are about buildings that might not make the grade for their heritage value,” says the chairperson of the hearings panel, Councillor Glenda Fryer. “But, either in their own right or as a group, they contribute streetscape character and a sense of place to the central city area.”

The new rules were introduced in response to a growing awareness that part of the character of the city had the potential to be lost under existing rules.

“It’s about balancing the rights of building owners with the expectation of the community that they can still see what was there in the early part of the 20th century,” Ms Fryer says.

“That doesn’t mean we will be unreasonable in preventing the demolition of buildings that clearly have no architectural significance. We want to encourage quality buildings and streetscapes, but in most cases where there is an existing character building we want to see most of the building retained or restored.”

ENDS

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